Scott Inquiry

David Lidington: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the progress of the inquiry by Peter Scott QC into criticisms made of the Northern Ireland Office by Mr. Justice Girvan; and what the expected timescale is of the inquiry.

Mike O'Brien: There is a large amount of documentation for Mr. Scott to consider in the course of his review. To date he has received 13 lever arch files of material and is expecting a further 18 within days. Additional material has been requested by him.
	Full statements have been requested from a number of individuals in response to detailed questionnaires prepared by the review team. The witnesses were given four weeks to provide replies and these are now expected in early February. By that time Mr. Scott expects to be in possession of all the documentation and witness statements from others, if oral evidence is required—either to provide further information or for clarification—he expects such hearings to be held no later than fours weeks after the date of the last witness statement requested. Subject to any further steps that he may decide to be necessary at that stage, he will report to the Attorney-General as soon as possible thereafter.

Displaced Karen People

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures his Department has put in place to provide support for the displaced Karen people on the border between Burma and Thailand.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is very concerned about the humanitarian situation for internally displaced people in Burma. We have been working hard to find innovative ways to increase the amount of aid reaching them.
	There are three types of internally displaced people in the east of Burma, near the Thai-Burma border. These are (with the latest available numbers from October 2006):
	(1) people in temporary settlements in ceasefire areas under ethnic nationality administration (287,000);
	(2) villagers who have been evicted by the Burmese Government and moved into designated relocation sites (118,000); and
	(3) civilians hiding from the Burmese army in areas most affected by armed conflict (95, 000).
	In response to the 2006 military offensive against the Karen, which has swelled the number of civilians hiding in conflict areas, DFID has provided emergency assistance by working through local community groups inside Burma. The local community groups also provide support to internally displaced people in relocation sites and other areas controlled by the Burmese authorities.
	This support complements that of relief teams working cross-border from Thailand, as each approach accesses different groups of internally displaced people who may not be reached by any other means. And we recognise the importance of maintaining coordination with all those funding and delivering assistance both in-country and cross- border to ensure that the international community manages to reach as many internally displaced people as possible.
	DFID has also provided support to internally displaced people in temporary settlements in ceasefire areas in eastern Burma (mostly in Karen State) through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 2006. Approximately 75 per cent. of our £500,000 contribution was used for protection work with displaced people in this area, and the delivery of medical supplies and improvement of their water supply and sanitation. Following the forced closure of ICRC's field operations later in the year, DFID, with the British embassy in Rangoon, has been continuing to press the Burmese authorities to reconsider their decision. We remain in close contact with ICRC on the developing situation.
	In addition, our health, education and rural livelihood projects provide assistance in eastern Burma, and support internally displaced people in temporary settlements and designated relocation sites, as well as other vulnerable people. For example, in Karen State, our Fund for HIV/AIDS in Myanmar supports World Vision projects in two townships, Save the Children UK projects in four townships and Care projects in five townships, as well as supporting other national non-governmental organisations. DFID-funded rural livelihoods and pre-primary education projects are about to start in Karen State.
	Furthermore, DFID funds non-governmental organisations working among displaced Burmese (mainly Karen) people in the refugee camps on the Thai side of the Thai-Burma border—as a grant to the Thai Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) of £1.8 million over three years. The UK contributes approximately the same amount again as its share of the EC's support to TBBC. The British embassy in Bangkok advocates on behalf of Burmese refugees living in Thailand through the United Nations high commission for refugees to improve the situation in the refugee camps in Thailand and to bring about a relaxation of the regulations prohibiting freedom of movement and employment outside the camps.

Overseas Development Assistance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the UK's Overseas Development Assistance is projected to come from departments other than his Department in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007; what the figures were in each year between 2001 and 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Information on the projected proportion of Official Development Assistance (ODA) from government organisations other than DFID is not held centrally. The following table contains the proportion of ODA from government organisations other than DFID as a proportion of total ODA from 2001 to 2005.
	
		
			  Proportion of ODA from government organisations other than DFID, 2001 to 2005 
			   Non-DFID ODA as a percentage of total ODA 
			 2001 12.1 
			 2002 20.1 
			 2003 11.7 
			 2004 16.6 
			 2005 35.8

Arms Sales

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of the  (a) number and  (b) value of arms sales by China to African countries in the last 12 months.

Ian McCartney: The People's Republic of China does not publish details of its arms exports, and last submitted data to the UN Register on Conventional Arms covering its exports in 1996. It is not therefore possible to provide figures on either the total number or value of Chinese arms exports to Africa. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with the Chinese government on a wide range of international issues, including Africa and the arms trade. Within this dialogue we encourage China to increase the transparency of its arms exports and we work with China as it seeks to improve its export controls. The UK is leading calls for an international arms trade treaty, with the aim of ending irresponsible arms trading that fuels internal conflict, external aggression or regional instability, and human rights abuses. We are encouraging China to engage positively in the UN process that will take this initiative forward.

Bangladesh

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the current political situation in Bangladesh; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 16 January 2006,  Official Report, column 994W.
	Further to that answer I reiterate that we fully recognise the importance to Bangladesh of free, fair, credible, peaceful and universally accepted elections. The UK, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our high commission in Dhaka, has adopted and is implementing without preference or favour, a policy of active engagement with the political parties and the institutions responsible for the electoral process in Bangladesh. We have, and continue to urge a constructive dialogue, to find an early and democratic political solution acceptable to the people of Bangladesh that, ensures the security of voters, political leaders and activists and the media. We look to the caretaker government, law enforcement agencies and the parties themselves to take responsibility and to demonstrate leadership and restraint to ensure this.

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) reports she has commissioned and  (b) representations she has received from (i) the Defence Board of Bermuda and (ii) the Governor of Bermuda which make reference to the practice of conscription to the Royal Bermuda Regiment in the last five years other than the Report submitted by Colonel Baxter in November 2005.

Kim Howells: No reports have been commissioned or representations received from either the Defence Board or the Governor of Bermuda which make reference to the practice of conscription to the Bermuda Regiment in the last five years other than the report submitted by Colonel Baxter in November 2005.

British Citizens: Convictions Abroad

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many referrals the Consular Department has made to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency of British prisoners  (a) released and  (b) deported from abroad in (i) the last 12 months and (ii) each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield Hallam (Mr. Clegg) on 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 830W, and 19 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1405W.

Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if she will press the Government of Chad to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in attacks on civilians;
	(2)  if she will press the Government of Chad to deploy military personnel, police and resources to conflict areas in eastern Chad to ensure that civilians are protected from attack.

Ian McCartney: We have underscored the need for the Government of Chad to protect its civilians in our discussions with Chad and in statements made by the UN Security Council, which we have supported. We will continue to urge the Government of Chad to make every effort to protect its civilians in Eastern Chad, particularly those most vulnerable to attack. We condemn the violence that has resulted in the displacement of around 90,000 Chadians in Eastern Chad and urge the Government of Chad to bring to justice the perpetrators of the violence.

Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if she will press her counterparts at the UN to provide support and funding for humanitarian activities to support Sudanese refugees and internally displaced persons in Chad;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with her counterparts on the United Nations Security Council on the Government of Chad's support for armed groups responsible for attacks on civilians.

Ian McCartney: The UK has played an active role in the ongoing discussions in the UN Security Council regarding the continuing conflict in Eastern Chad. Together with our partners in the UN Security Council, the UK supported a presidency statement of 15 December 2006, which called on the Government of Chad to "do all it can to protect its civilian population" and "expressed its grave concern regarding the increase in military activities of armed groups in Eastern Chad".
	Along with close UN partners, such as France and the US, we are pressing the UN to provide early plans for a mission in Chad as envisaged under UN Security Council Resolution 1706. This would provide support for the UN's present humanitarian activities. The UK, through the Department for International Development, last year provided £4 million in emergency aid.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the security situation in Ituri, Kivus and Katanga provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ian McCartney: The security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains fragile, particularly in Ituri, the Kivus and northern Katanga. Congolese militia and foreign armed groups continue to abuse local populations. And the Congolese army continues to pose a threat to peace and stability. But successful elections, for which the UK was the leading bilateral donor, should help the process of stabilisation. The UK is also actively supporting Congolese army reform, which should help the army play a positive role in future. And we will maintain our support to the Congolese Government, MONUC (the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC) and other partners in their efforts to secure an end to the conflict and lasting peace in the DRC.

Ethiopia

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with European Union partners about Ethiopian political development.

Ian McCartney: We regularly discuss political developments in Ethiopia with EU partners.
	In Addis Ababa, with our EU partners, we continue to encourage both the government of Ethiopia and opposition to move forward with the democratisation process and to work towards political reconciliation. The EU has regular dialogue with the government on governance and human rights issues and the government is now beginning to take steps to create space for opposition parties to contribute and participate in the House of Peoples' Representatives.
	We continue to urge the government of Ethiopia to open up the political space and encourage open debate with all parts of society.

Export Support

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by UK Trade and Investment on export support in each of the last three years; and how much has been allocated for 2007-08.

Ian McCartney: The following net amounts were spent by UK Trade and Investment on export support in each of the last three financial years (FY):
	
		
			  Financial year  000 
			 2005-06 225,993 
			 2004-05 235,780 
			 2003-04 250,433 
		
	
	We have not yet finalised budget allocations for 2007-08.

Government Response Mechanisms

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a mechanism exists to enable the Government to respond formally to recommendations of the  (a) Assembly of Western European Union and  (b) the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Geoff Hoon: There are no formal procedures or mechanisms in place for national governments to respond directly to recommendations from the Assembly of the Western European Union. We do, however, take these into consideration in policy formulation.
	Recommendations of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe are presented to the Committee of Ministers for consideration and reply.

India

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with members of the Indian government regarding the human rights of Dalit people on her recent visit to India.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not raise the human rights of Dalits during her recent visit to India. However, officials from our High Commission in New Delhi have regular discussions on minority rights, including Dalit rights, with the Government of India at central and state level. They have held discussions with national level bodies such as the National Human Rights Commission, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (Dalits) and Scheduled Tribes and the National Commission for Minorities, most recently in June 2006.
	On the EU's behalf, the EU Troika highlighted the high level of parliamentary and public interest in Dalit issues during the EU-India human rights dialogue with the Government of India, which took place in December 2006.

Sri Lanka

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of reports that a Sri Lankan government minister was involved in disrupting a political rally by the United People's Movement in Colombo.

Kim Howells: We understand that on 9 January a peaceful and legal demonstration by the United People's Movement in Colombo was cancelled after disruption and intimidation. The demonstration organisers have alleged that a junior minister in the Sri Lankan Government was involved in the disruption. The minister in turn has denied the allegation.
	There has in recent weeks been an increasing level of restriction on the freedom of expression of some individuals and sectors of the Sri Lankan media that advocate a peaceful resolution to the conflict. We call on the Sri Lankan Government to uphold international standards and the rights of those involved in journalism and legitimate democratic debate.

Sudan and Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts at the UN Security Council on pressing the government of Sudan to cease support for armed groups responsible for attacks on civilians in Chad.

Ian McCartney: We regularly discuss Sudan and Chad with our partners in the Security Council. We continue to press the Government of Sudan to adhere to the N'Djamena and Tripoli ceasefire agreements, which require the disarmament of and cessation of support for armed groups responsible for attacks on civilians in Chad. We support the deployment of a peacekeeping force to Chad to help protect civilians. On 17 January the UN Security Council adopted a presidential statement requesting that the Secretary-General immediately deploy a further assessment mission to finalise recommendations for this force, and to deploy an advanced mission in the meantime.

Sudan and Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if she will press her counterparts at the UN to provide funding for an office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Chad to monitor the border with Sudan;
	(2)  if she will press the UN Security Council to call for the immediate establishment of an office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Chad with a mandate to monitor and report publicly on human rights violations throughout the country, including in the context of conflict.

Ian McCartney: We support the inclusion of a human rights dimension in any integrated UN mission in Chad.
	We understand that the preference of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is to operate from within an integrated mission, given their wider approach to the situation, rather than in a standalone position. Therefore we are not lobbying the Security Council for the establishment of a stand-alone office, but we are pressing for a multi-dimensional presence in Chad.
	There is currently a human rights adviser in the UN country team in Chad, based in N'djamena.

Correspondence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many letters to her Department sent from hon. Members during Session 2005-06 remain unanswered, broken down by those which are  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three,  (d) four and  (e) over six months old.

David Lammy: Information regarding unanswered correspondence in session 2005-06 is shown in the table:
	
		
			  11 May 2005 to 8 November 2006 
			   MP  Peer 
			 1 month old 14 0 
			 2 month old 9 0 
			 3 month old 9 1 
			 4 month old 18 3 
			 6 month old 9 2 
		
	
	The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The Report for 2005 was published on 30 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 75-78WS.

Gambling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the relationship between internet gambling and problem gambling.

Richard Caborn: I have not directly commissioned research that looks into the relationship between problem and internet gambling specifically. However, the Responsibility in Gambling Trust, a charitable organisation which commissions research into problem gambling is currently funding a number of research projects that look into internet gambling. Such as Oxford University's 'web-based survey of the clinical and psychological characteristics of internet gamblers'. This study looks at the psychological characteristics of internet gamblers, the extent and range of their gambling activities, and examines clinical and psychological features that might be relevant to the development of problem gambling.

Gambling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the  (a) availability and  (b) quality of problem gambling services targeted at (i) children, (ii) adolescents, (iii) women and (iv) ethnic minorities.

Richard Caborn: Any person who seeks help from the NHS for a gambling problem will be offered support, and if necessary, treatment to help them overcome their addiction, regardless of their age, gender or ethnicity. There are also a number of specialised addiction services outside the NHS, some of which are dedicated to the prevention of problem gambling and treatment of problem gamblers. The charity GamCare, runs a 24-hour helpline and provides face-to-face counselling. Its services are open to all problem gamblers, and makes special provision for women, such as female only group counselling.

Gambling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects of gambling on an individual's (i) health, (ii) family, (iii) workplace and (iv) financial situation.

Richard Caborn: In the 2005 Gambling Act, I commissioned the Gambling Commission to undertake a major UK gambling prevalence study. The last prevalence study was commissioned by GamCare in 1999. The current study is now under way and will report in September 2007. It will measure the prevalence of participation in all forms of gambling, estimate the prevalence of problem gambling and investigate the socio-demographic factors associated with gambling and with problem gambling. The Gambling Commission has undertaken to carry out a prevalence study every three years. They also work closely with a number of other organisations which carry out research into gambling and problem gambling. For example, last financial year (2005-06) the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT), commissioned research to the value of 163,796.

Heritage Lottery Fund

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was allocated to the Heritage Lottery Fund from the National Lottery Distribution Fund in each of the last three years; and how much will be allocated in 2007-08.

Richard Caborn: The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) receives a one-sixth share of money arriving in the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) from the Lottery operator. It also receives a share of investment earnings from the NLDF balance. HLF is not allocated a sum, rather it receives a share of what has accumulated.
	We do not know, therefore, what the value of the HLF's share will be in 2006-07 or 2007-08 because this will depend on variable factors, such as sales of Lottery products and returns on investments. The value of HLF's share of income in the last three years was 246 million in 2003-04, 266 million in 2004-05 and 270 million in 2005-06. My Department's current projections for the income of which HLF will receive a share is that it may fall by about 8 per cent. in 2006-07 and 2frac12; per cent. in 2007-08.

A-level Results

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many pupils in maintained schools in England gained grade A at A-level in  (a) mathematics,  (b) physics,  (c) chemistry,  (d) biology and  (e) modern languages in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many pupils in maintained schools in England took A-levels in  (a) mathematics,  (b) physics,  (c) chemistry,  (d) biology and  (e) modern languages in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The figures requested are in the following tables and cover 16 to 18-year-olds in maintained schools only. FE colleges are not included in these figures.
	
		
			  Candidates aged 16 to 18 
			  Number 
			   Biology  Chemistry  Physics  Maths  Modern language 
			 1997 24,607 18,522 15,498 28,402 15,179 
			 1998 25,685 19,048 16,260 29,164 14,652 
			 1999 25,286 18,587 16,364 29,234 14,063 
			 2000 25,113 18,714 15,843 28,567 12,605 
			 2001 25,157 18,469 16,112 29,535 13,249 
			 2002 26,066 18,050 16,238 23,638 11,642 
			 2003 25,165 17,017 15,159 23,894 11,113 
			 2004 24,890 17,171 13,705 24,152 10,691 
			 2005 26,090 17,881 13,885 24,535 10,683 
			 2006 26,579 18,649 13,237 26,383 11,286 
		
	
	
		
			  Candidates aged 16 to 18 achieving an A grade 
			  Number 
			   Biology  Chemistry  Physics  Maths  Modern language 
			 1997 2,964 3,068 2,796 6,395 2,676 
			 1998 3,406 3,595 3,032 6,825 2,836 
			 1999 3,591 3,786 3,403 7,082 2,775 
			 2000 3,626 3,934 3,395 6,938 2,602 
			 2001 3,793 4,034 3,436 7,079 2,774 
			 2002 4,557 4,186 3,702 7,429 2,735 
			 2003 4,417 4,052 3,413 7,526 2,872 
			 2004 4,571 4,297 3,272 7,972 2,824 
			 2005 4,973 4,481 3,297 8,794 3,020 
			 2006 5,406 5,010 3,332 10,196 3,338

Class Sizes

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of schools with class sizes at key stage four of more than  (a) 30,  (b) 40 and  (c) 50 pupils.

Jim Knight: The available information is shown in the following table.
	Information on key stage four classes is not collected centrally. National curriculum year group data have been used as the closest available indicator.
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies( 1) : number of schools with year group 10 and 11 classes with more than 30 pupils( 2) , as at January 2006, England 
			   Classes with 31 to 40 pupils  Classes with 41 to 50 pupils  Classes with 51 or more pupils 
			   Number of:  Number of:  Number of: 
			   Schools  Classes  Pupils  Schools  Classes  Pupils  Schools  Classes  Pupils 
			  Classes taught by one teacher  
			 Maintained secondary 1,554 3,068 98,335 13 13 574 7 7 501 
			 City technology colleges 1 1 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Academies 5 5 160 1 1 42 0 0 0 
			   
			  Classes taught by two or more teachers  
			 Maintained secondary 52 62 2,077 31 37 1,665 47 56 5,254 
			 City technology colleges 0 0 0 1 1 47 0 0 0 
			 Academies 0 0 0 1 2 96 0 0 0 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Classes taught during a single selected period on the day of the census.  Source: Schools Census

Class Sizes

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools regularly conduct lessons in  (a) English,  (b) mathematics and  (c) humanities in class sizes that exceed 60 pupils.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table and relates to a sample of classes conducted on the day of the census in January.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : Classes as taught( 2, 3,)  as at January 2006, England 
			  Classes with more than 60 pupils 
			   Primary schools  Secondary schools 
			  Class activity  Number of schools  Number of classes  Number of teachers  Number of pupils  Number of schools  Number of classes  Number of teachers  Number of pupils 
			 English, literacy or reading 1 1 1 80 2 2 15 275 
			 Mathematics or numeracy 0 0 0 0 3 3 18 440 
			 Humanities(4) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Classes as taught during a single selected period on the day of the census in January.  (3) Includes classes with more than one teacher  (4 )Includes geography, history, economics and business studies   Source:  Schools Census. 
		
	
	The table identifies one class in a primary school with 80 pupils and one teacher. This was a nursery class in which there were two members of support staff.
	No classes of 61 or more pupils were reported in city technology colleges or academies in January 2006.

Connexions Cards

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many awarded Connexions card points remain unspent.

Parmjit Dhanda: The total number of unspent Connexions Card points, accumulated by past and present card holders from the start of the scheme in September 2001 up to 12th January 2007, was 1,420,990,957.

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of expenditure by his Department in each of the Government Office regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: The estimate of DfES expenditure by Government Office region is published annually in the Departmental Report. The latest available figures are given in Annex G to the Departmental Report 2006 published as Cm 6812 and dated May 2006.

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much programme expenditure sponsored by his Department was spent via each of the Government offices for the regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: Expenditure on programmes by the Department for Education and Skills which took place through Government offices for the regions in FY 2005-06 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  DfES programme expenditure, FY 2005-06 
			  Government office region   
			 North-east 31,727,938.43 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 54,925,071.03 
			 North-west 78,270,470.38 
			 West midlands 58,320,110.59 
			 East midlands 34,195,574.80 
			 Eastern England 45,377,862.09 
			 South-west 44,952,029.60 
			 London 87,676,003.29 
			 South-east 73,720,234.23 
			 Total 509,165,294.44

Education Funding: Ashford

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much central Government allocated for education in Ashford local authority areas in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 January 2007
	The following figures are taken from the new dedicated school grant, which was introduced in April 2006. The Ashford constituency falls within the local education authority area of Kent and the information supplied is the level of funding which applies to all of Kent:
	
		
			  Kent 2006-07 
			million 
			 Dedicated Schools Grant 718.2 
			 Revenue Grant allocation 174.5 
			 Total 892.7 
			  Notes: 1. These figures are in cash terms. 2. The figures include the pensions transfer.

Educational Psychologist Assessments

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in  (a) East Sussex and  (b) England were assessed by an educational psychologist in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: These figures are not collected at a national level. Jenny Clench, Principal Educational Psychologist, at East Sussex county council has been contacted and will write to you at your Eastbourne address within the next two weeks giving any figures which they have available on this issue.

GCSE Results

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils in England gained five A*-C grades at GCSE, excluding equivalents and Applied GCSE Double Awards, in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the percentage of 15-year-old pupils who achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE only, excluding equivalents(1 )and Applied GCSE Double Awards.
	(1) These other qualifications are not the same as GCSEs. Not all approved qualifications are exactly the same, but they can be measures and accredited on a common scale, which gives point scores according to their different challenges and different breadth. The value of a qualification will depend entirely on the young person's needs and aspirations and the context for their learning.
	
		
			   5+ A*-C at GCSE only 
			 2002 50.1 
			 2003 49.9 
			 2004 50.2 
			 2005 51.2 
			 2006 51.7

International Baccalaureate

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in London have taken up the International Baccalaureate in each of the last five years, broken down by borough.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies( 1) : number of schools with at least one pupil studying the International Baccalaureate( 2) , position in January each year: 2002-06 
			  By local authority area 
			Number of schools with at least one pupil studying the International Baccalaureate 
			2002  2003  2004 
			Secondary  CTC  Academy  Secondary  CTC  Academy  Secondary  CTC  Academy 
			  England 9 0 n/a 18 1 0 21 1 1 
			
			 202 Camden 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 203 Greenwich 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 209 Lewisham 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 302 Barnet 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 303 Bexley 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 1 
			 308 Enfield 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 312 Hillingdon 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 317 Redbridge 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 319 Sutton 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 330 Birmingham 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 331 Coventry 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 334 Solihull 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 n/a 
			 335 Walsall 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a 0 
			 336 Wolverhampton 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 341 Liverpool 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 343 Sefton 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 352 Manchester 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a 0 
			 358 Trafford 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 372 Rotherham 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 380 Bradford 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 
			 381 Calderdale 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 384 Wakefield 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 394 Sunderland 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 820 Bedfordshire 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 830 Derbyshire 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 840 Durham 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 3 n/a n/a 
			 855 Leicestershire 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 871 Slough 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 872 Wokingham 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 874 Peterborough 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 875 Cheshire 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 878 Devon 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 881 Essex 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 886 Kent 1 0 n/a 2 0 n/a 3 0 n/a 
			 887 Medway 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 916 Gloucestershire 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 919 Hertfordshire 2 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 925 Lincolnshire 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 926 Norfolk 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 928 Northamptonshire 0 0 n/a 1 0 n/a 1 0 n/a 
			 936 Surrey 2 n/a n/a 2 n/a n/a 3 n/a n/a 
			 937 Warwickshire 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  By local authority area 
			Number of schools with at least one pupil studying the International Baccalaureate 
			2005  2006 
			Secondary  CTC  Academy  Secondary  CTC  Academy 
			  England 34 1 1 33 1 1 
			 
			 202 Camden 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 203 Greenwich 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a 0 
			 209 Lewisham 1 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 302 Barnet 0 n/a 0 1 n/a 0 
			 303 Bexley 1 n/a 1 1 n/a 1 
			 308 Enfield 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 312 Hillingdon 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 
			 317 Redbridge 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 319 Sutton 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 330 Birmingham 3 n/a n/a 2 n/a n/a 
			 331 Coventry 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 334 Solihull 0 1 n/a 10 1 n/a 
			 335 Walsall 1 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 
			 336 Wolverhampton 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 341 Liverpool 2 n/a n/a 1 n/a 0 
			 343 Sefton 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 352 Manchester 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 
			 358 Trafford 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 372 Rotherham 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 380 Bradford 1 0 n/a 1 n/a 0 
			 381 Calderdale 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 384 Wakefield 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 394 Sunderland 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 820 Bedfordshire 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 830 Derbyshire 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 840 Durham 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 855 Leicestershire 2 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 871 Slough 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 872 Wokingham 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 874 Peterborough 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 875 Cheshire 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 878 Devon 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 881 Essex 1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 886 Kent 4 0 n/a 6 0 0 
			 887 Medway 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 916 Gloucestershire 0 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 
			 919 Hertfordshire 2 n/a n/a 2 n/a n/a 
			 925 Lincolnshire 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 926 Norfolk 0 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 928 Northamptonshire 1 0 0 1 0 0 
			 936 Surrey 2 n/a n/a 2 n/a n/a 
			 937 Warwickshire 1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Not applicable, no schools of this type. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Course of study is collected from those pupils in national curriculum year groups 12 and above.  Source: Schools' Census

Investors in People

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether Investors in People (UK) has been awarded the Investors in People award.

Phil Hope: Investors in People UK were first awarded the IIP Standard on 10 February 1997 and has continued to be recognised with reviews every three years since this date. The date of their last review was 30 May 2006.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by his Department; what the function is of each body; and what the annual budget of each body was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills publishes a list of the non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) it sponsors and their function in Annex M of the Departmental Report. The latest copy was published under Command paper CM 6811 to 6838 in May 2006.
	In addition to those bodies listed in Annex M, the Department has recently set up 2 other Executive NDPBs: the Office of the Children's Commissioner, with the function of promoting the interests of and acting as the voice of all children and young people in England, the Quality Improvement Agency, which is to provide a national focus for quality improvement in the learning and skills sector, enabling providers to improve performance, respond to strategic change and build capacity for self improvement.
	The annual budgets for the grant in aid funding for the Executive NDPBs for FY2005-06, the last year for which figures are available is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Name of NDPB  Grant in aid budget for 2005-06 () 
			  Executive NDPBs  
			 Adult Learning Inspectorate 26,100,000 
			 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency 12,500,000 
			 Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service 101,000,000 
			 Construction Industry Training Board Funded by a levy raised on the industry 
			 Engineering Construction Industry Training Board Funded by a levy raised on the industry 
			 Higher Education Funding Council for England 6,625,000,000 
			 Investors In People UK 5,700,000 
			 Learning and Skills Council 10,516,900,000 
			 National College for School Leadership 93,600,000 
			 Office for Fair Access 400,000 
			 Office of the Children's Commissioner 3,000,000 in set up phase 
			 Partnership for Schools 3,500,000 
			 Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 151,000,000 
			 Quality Improvement Agency Not set up until FY 2006-07 
			 School Food Trust 0 in set up phase 
			 Sector Skills Development Agency 67,400,000 
			 Student Loan Company 58,800,000 
			 Training and Development Agency for Schools 634,200,000 
		
	
	The Department is also responsible for the following Advisory NDPBs which do not receive funding from DfES:
	School Teachers' Review Body which reports to the Prime Minister and to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on the statutory pay and conditions of school teachers in England and Wales;
	Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy which provides advice to the Government and monitors the overall success of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, to reduce teenage pregnancy and increase the participation of teenage parents in education, training and work, and
	Teachers' TV which provides advice on the content of programming to be broadcast on the Teachers TV channel.

Pupils: Intimidation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many of the physical assaults in London schools in the last year for which figures are available resulted in  (a) injury,  (b) a criminal case and  (c) damages paid by the school to the victim.

Jim Knight: The requested information is not collected centrally.
	The Department does collect information on the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions from schools due to physical assault against a pupil or an adult. The latest available data are given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and special schools( 1, 2) : Number of permanent and fixed period exclusions by reason of exclusion( 3 ) 2004/05 
			   London  England 
			   Number of permanent exclusions( 3,4)  Number of fixed period exclusions  Number of permanent exclusions( 3,4)  Number of fixed period exclusions 
			 Physical assault against a pupil 290 11,010 1,780 80,700 
			 Physical assault against an adult 160 2,490 1,270 18,480 
			 Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against a pupil 80 2,070 450 15,550 
			 Verbal abuse/ threatening behaviour against an adult 100 7,730 1,100 89,570 
			 Bullying 30 1,180 130 7,680 
			 Racist abuse 0 470 40 3,390 
			 Sexual misconduct 40 530 150 3,490 
			 Drug and alcohol related 70 780 470 11,100 
			 Damage 30 1,350 210 11,950 
			 Theft 40 1,240 230 7,520 
			 Persistent disruptive behaviour 400 8,290 2,890 103,650 
			 Other 210 5,710 690 36,460 
			 Total 1,510 42,850 9,400 389,560 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes non-maintained special schools. (3) The distribution of exclusions by reason has been derived from Termly Exclusions Survey returns and applied to the number of permanent exclusions as confirmed by local authorities as part of the Schools' Census data checking exercise. (4) There were some 60 exclusions in Waltham Forest and City of London local authorities for which reason for exclusion has not been established.  Source: Termly Exclusions Survey and Schools Census

Random Drug Tests

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will introduce random and compulsory drug tests for all school children over 11 years of age.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has no plans to introduce random and compulsory drug tests for all school children over 11 years of age. The Department's guidance, 'Drugs: Guidance for Schools' (DfES 2004), makes it clear that drug testing is one option available to schools, but that it is for the head teacher to judge whether such an approach is appropriate. We know of three maintained schools that have tested pupils for drugs.

Reading Recovery Scheme

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  when he expects reading recovery to be rolled out to the city of Nottingham following the Chancellor's recent funding announcement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the 10  (a) constituencies and  (b) cities in which a reading recovery scheme would have the most effect.

Jim Knight: The pre-Budget report announced that the Every Child a Reader (ECAR) programme will be rolled out nationally. Work is now underway to develop the ECAR model so that it is fully compatible with the recommendations of Jim Rose's review of the teaching of early reading, and explore the most cost-effective approaches so that a greater number of children can benefit from support. Decisions about the delivery of the national roll-out have yet to be taken.
	In targeting the existing pilot programme, authorities invited to take part were prioritised by reference to criteria including those with the highest numbers of children below level 3 at the end key stage 2. In expanding the programme, we will look again at our methodology and work out the best ways to reach children with significant literacy difficulties who will benefit most from intensive literacy support.

School Sport

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment is made by Ofsted during its regular inspections of state secondary schools on the provision of sport.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 17 January 2007:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked what assessment is made by Ofsted, during its regular inspections of state secondary schools, on the provision of sport.
	Individual subjects are not inspected during Ofsted's programme of three-yearly school inspections. There is therefore no specific focus on physical education and school sport. It does, however, feature in several aspects of the inspection and the report: what provision the school has made to promote pupils' knowledge and understanding of fitness and health; whether statutory requirements of the National Curriculum are met; opportunities for extra curricular sporting activity and the development and accreditation of leadership skills through sport.
	The amount of evidence on physical education and school sport will vary according to the priorities and focus of the inspection. For example, schools with specialist sports college status will have their distinctive aims and characteristics taken into account.
	Ofsted's complementary subject survey programme looks in detail at physical education and school sport in a sample of schools across the country. A number of different areas are reported on, including: standards and achievement; teaching and learning; the curriculum; subject leadership and management; and inclusion. The outcomes of these inspections are reported on a three yearly cycle. Additionally, as part of the subject programme, Ofsted continues to inspect the impact of the Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links national strategy.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Science Teaching

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of pupils in maintained schools were entered for individual science GCSEs in  (a) biology,  (b) chemistry and  (c) physics in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the number and percentage of 15 year-old pupils(1) attempting a GCSE in biology, chemistry and physics in maintained schools(2) in England.
	(1) Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year (i.e. 31 August).
	(2 )Includes community schools, voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools, foundation schools, city technology colleges, academies, community special schools, foundation special schools, hospital schools and pupil referral units.
	
		
			  GCSE attempts of 15 year old pupils( 1)  in maintained schools by subject 
			   Number  Percentage 
			   Biology  Chemistry  Physics  Biology  Chemistry  Physics 
			 1997 19,116 18,682 18,546 3.7 3.7 3.6 
			 1998 20,856 20,499 20,390 4.1 4.1 4.0 
			 1999 22,131 21,717 21,608 3.9 3.8 3.8 
			 2000 23,229 22,386 22,399 4.1 4.0 4.0 
			 2001 24,038 23,218 23,102 4.2 4.0 4.0 
			 2002 24,664 23,849 23,759 4.4 4.2 4.2 
			 2003 27,728 26,730 26,228 4.8 4.6 4.5 
			 2004 29,727 28,623 28,333 5.0 4.8 4.7 
			 2005 32,718 31,135 30,850 5.5 5.3 5.2 
			 2006 36,101 34,427 34,159 6.0 5.7 5.7 
			 (1) Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year (i.e. 31 August).

Special Educational Need and Disability Tribunal

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children with a special educational need were referred to the Special Educational Need and Disability Tribunal in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in the last two years.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table gives the number of appeals against East Sussex local authority in the last two school years, and the number of children with special educational needs in the local authority's primary and secondary schools in the January of the relevant period.
	Appeals concern children residing in the local authority, rather than pupils at the local authority's schools. It would therefore be misleading to express one figure as a proportion of the other.
	Eastbourne is not a local education authority and we do not collate appeals data at the more local level.
	
		
			   Special educational needs appeals  Children with special educational needs 
			 2005/06 81 12,567 
			 2004/05 68 11,980

Teacher Exchanges

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher exchanges with developing countries have been arranged in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills does not keep central information about teacher exchanges. These can be arranged through a number of organisations, including government, non-government, local authorities and schools.
	However, as an example, under the DfES Teachers International Professional Development Programme (TIPD), in the year April 2005 to March 2006, teachers from England went on 596 study visits to developing countries.

Visually Impaired Pupils

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many books have been made available for visually impaired pupils in  (a) Braille,  (b) audio and  (c) large print format in each local education authority in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what plans the Government has to increase the availability of school books which have been specially adapted for use by visually impaired pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department does not collect information on the numbers of books available to visually impaired pupils in each local authority.
	The Government are committed to providing a good education for all learners, to help them fulfil their potential. Under Part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act schools, colleges and universities have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled pupils and students are not put at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to those who are not disabled.
	Schools, colleges and universities make their own decisions as to how best to meet this duty in respect of individual learners. Support for visually impaired learners will therefore range from the provision of written materials in alternative formats, to the provision of specialist equipment and services, to alterations to the physical environment.
	The Department does provide funding to the RNIB for production of embossed literature for visually impaired people.

Cycling

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with cycling campaign groups on the draft highway code and on the use of cycling facilities.

Stephen Ladyman: Cyclists and cycling groups have been fully consulted on the proposed revisions to the code and many of them have taken the opportunity to comment.
	In addition, I met my hon. Friend, the Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry), chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling on 7 September 2006, to discuss cyclist's views on the proposed revisions to the highway code. This has been the only Ministerial meeting, on the revision of the code, with any road user group.
	We are now considering all the comments received on the revision to the highway code and the new edition will be published in mid 2007.

EU Directive: Driving Licences

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what circumstances motorists will be required to re-take their driving tests under the EU directive on driving licences; and when the directive will be implemented in the UK.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 19 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 1433-34W.

Rail Services

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by Network Rail to investigate and design proposals to expand capacity on the rail network.

Tom Harris: This is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question.
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Road Safety

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatal road crashes involving drivers aged  (a) 17 to 20 and  (b) 21 to 25 years occurred in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many (i) drivers, (ii) passengers and (iii) others lost their lives.

Stephen Ladyman: Information requested is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Accidents involving drivers/riders aged 17 to 20 and resulting casualties in personal injury road accidents reported to the police, Great Britain, 2001 to 2005 
			  Number 
			   Fatal accidents  Drive/rider fatalities( 1)  Passenger fatalities( 1)  Pedestrian fatalities( 1) 
			 2001 488 301 171 76 
			 2002 493 322 180 70 
			 2003 523 347 195 61 
			 2004 510 328 198 60 
			 2005 542 336 195 88 
		
	
	
		
			  Accidents involving drivers/riders aged 21 to 25 and resulting casualties in personal injury road accidents reported to the police, Great Britain, 2001 to 2005 
			  Number 
			   Fatal accidents  Drive/rider fatalities( 1)  Passenger fatalities( 1)  Pedestrian fatalities( 1) 
			 2001 605 403 170 117 
			 2002 572 385 146 102 
			 2003 593 402 149 101 
			 2004 648 431 172 110 
			 2005 559 392 148 93 
			 (1) Includes casualties of all ages.  Note: There is a small amount of double counting between these tables in instances involving drivers/riders of the same age groups.

Armed Forces Personnel

Alex Salmond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many inquests remain to be heard in relation to members of the armed forces who lost their lives as a result of military duties in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan (i) since 2003 in total, (ii) in 2004, (iii) in 2005 and (iv) in 2006; and in how many cases an inquest has not been concluded a year after death.

Harriet Harman: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Iraq and Afghanistan: outstanding inquests 
			   Iraq  Afghanistan 
			 Deaths in 2003 11 0 
			 Deaths in 2004 2 0 
			 Deaths in 2005 4 0 
			 Subtotalthe total number of inquests outstanding one year after death 17 0 
			 Deaths in 2006 27 36 
			 Deaths in 2007 2 2 
			 Totalinquests outstanding of deaths since 2003 46 38

Designated Drugs Courts

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to extend the operation of designated drugs courts.

Harriet Harman: Designated drug courts are being piloted at Leeds and West London magistrates courts and an independent evaluation of the pilots will be complete by summer 2007. This will determine if this drug court model delivers benefits and will inform the potential for extended operation.

Mental Health

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations her Department has received from mental health lawyers on the reform of legal aid.

Vera Baird: I held national meetings last summer to hear the views of practitioners, including mental health lawyers, on our proposals, and attended the Mental Health Lawyers Association conference on 3 November 2006 to hear the views of mental health specialists. We also received 95 responses to our consultation 'Legal Aid: a sustainable future' on mental health, and these are summarised in 'Legal Aid: a sustainable futurean analysis of responses'. In response to representations received, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) is reviewing the mental health scheme and will be publishing details of the final scheme in due course.

Care Home Costs

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average weekly cost of caring for a resident in  (a) public sector and  (b) publicly-funded private sector residential care in Northern Ireland was in the last period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The average weekly cost of caring for a resident in public sector 'statutory' residential care in Northern Ireland and the average weekly cost of caring for a resident in publicly-funded independent residential care in Northern Ireland for the financial year 2004-05 was as follows:
	
		
			  2004-05 
			  Client group  Mean average weekly cost () 
			 Statutory 730 
			 Independent 379 
		
	
	These unit costs take no account of the client group to which residents belong or of individual case complexity.

Down Lisburn Trust

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many clinical psychologists are employed by  (a) Down Lisburn Trust and  (b) other health and social services trusts in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is presented in the table.
	
		
			  Clinical psychologists employed within the NI HPSS by trust as at 31 December 2006 
			  Trust  Headcount  WTE( 1) 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 25 23.02 
			
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 3 3.00 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 12 11.28 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community HSS Trust 13 11.61 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 12 10.87 
			 Green Park Healthcare HSS Trust 3 2.62 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 25 22.57 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 4 4.00 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 12 11.11 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 21 19.71 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 19 18.65 
			 Sperrin/Lakeland HSS Trust 4 4.00 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals Group HSS Trust 8 6.62 
			 Total 161 149.06 
			 (1 )Whole-time equivalent.   Note:  As at 31 December 2006, there was a total of 25 (23.02 WTE) qualified psychologists employed in Down Lisburn HSS Trust. This figure had increased from 22 (19.86 WTE) in September 2006.   Source:  Human Resource Management Systems.

Further and Higher Education

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people over the age of 60 years enrolled in  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time (i) vocational and (ii) non-vocational courses in each college of further and higher education in Northern Ireland in academic year 2005-06.

Maria Eagle: The following table details the number of people over the age of 60 years enrolled in  (a) vocational and  (b) non-vocational courses in each college of further and higher education in Northern Ireland in academic year 2005-06. There are no full-time enrolments by students aged over 60 years old, therefore the figures below relate to part time provision.
	
		
			  College  Vocational students  Non-vocational students  Total 
			 Armagh College 128 351 479 
			 Belfast Institute 1,203 2,893 4,096 
			 Castlereagh College 293 1,021 1,314 
			 Causeway Institute 337 723 1,060 
			 East Antrim Institute 154 984 1,138 
			 East Down Institute 157 625 782 
			 East Tyrone Institute 79 1,433 1,512 
			 Fermanagh College 150 349 499 
			 Limavady College 72 328 400 
			 Lisburn Institute 96 105 201 
			 Newry and Kilkeel Institute 139 626 765 
			 North Down and Ards Institute 830 378 1,208 
			 North East Institute 170 372 542 
			 North West Institute 487 710 1,197 
			 Omagh College 129 313 442 
			 Upper Bann Institute 365 1,302 1,667 
			 Total 4,789 12,513 17,302 
			  Note: Age is at 1 July 2005.  Source: Further Education Statistical Record

Private Finance Schemes

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the  (a) total capital value,  (b) period over which repayments will take place and  (c) total cost of repayment is of each private finance scheme which has reached financial close and which a Northern Ireland department or agency is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  Details of PFI projects of Northern Ireland departments and agencies 
			  Project title  Estimated capital value ( million)  Payment period, e.g. 2005-30  Total estimated unitary charge over repayment period ( million) 
			  Department of Finance and Personnel
			 LANDWEB (NI Land Registry service) (2) 1999-2014 78.1 
			 
			  Department for Regional Development
			 Kinnegar WwTW (wastewater treatment) for East Belfast/Holywood 12 1999-2024 55 
			 Alpha Project WTWs, provision of approximately 50 per cent. of the potable water supply for Northern Ireland 110 2008-32 507 
			 DBFO roads package 1 (M1 westlink, Antrim hospital slip roads, M2 widening and Sandyknowles to Greencastle) 118 2006-37 499 
			 
			  Department of Employment and Learning
			 Belfast Institute, Millfield 20.0 2002-27 83.0 
			 North West InstituteNorthland Building 10.0 2001-26 41.0 
			 Omagh College 16.0 2006-36 123.0 
			 East Tyrone College, Dungannon 16.0 2006-36 79.0 
			 DEL CIS (IT Project) (2) 1998-2008 45.0 
			  Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
			 Royal Group of Hospitals managed equipment services 98.0 2006-21 127.0 
			 Belfast City Hospital Trustnew renal dialysis facilities 3.3 1998-99 to 2012-13 23.4 
			 Belfast City Hospitalcancer centre (equipment, consumables and maintenance) 42.2 2005-06 to 2030-31 121.9 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Trustcontract energy services 0.5 1997-98 to 2007-08 7.7 
			 United Hospitals HSS Trustnew renal dialysis facilities 2.7 2000-01 to 2013-14 13.9 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trustcontract energy services 0.2 1994-95 to 1998-99 1.3 
			 Altnagelvin Hospital HSS Trustservices centre (new pathology, pharmacy and changing rooms) 15.2 2006-07 to 2030-31 55.1 
			 
			  Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
			 Electronic libraries for Northern Ireland ElfNI 10.2 2002-12 36.5 
			 Lisburn City Library 3.7 2005-30 11.4 
			 
			  Department of Education
			 ICT in Schools, Classroom 2000small primaries (2) 2001-02 to 2007-08 29.0 
			 ICT in Schools, Classroom 2000medium/large primaries (2) 2002-03 to 2007-08 36.5 
			 ICT in Schools, Classroom 2000post-primary and special (2) 2002-03 to 2010-11 116.0 
			 ICT in Schools, Classroom 2000wide area network (2) 2003-04 to 2010-11 120.2 
			 ICT in Schools, Classroom 2000refresh of the primary service (2) 2006-07 to 2010-11 38.0 
			 Drumglass High School 6.5 2000-01 to 2025-26 30.4 
			 St Genevieve's High School 11.5 2001-02 to 2026-27 73.6 
			 Wellington College, Balmoral High 17.0 2001-02 to 2026-27 25.4 
			 Bangor Academy/Nendrum College 31.7 2008-09 to 2038-39 135.0 
			 Holy Cross College 31.0 2008-09 to 2032-33 120.4 
			 
			  Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
			 Provision of new Invest NI HQ building with serviced accommodation 25.0 2005-2030 127.8 
			 
			  Department of the Environment
			 DVTAreplacement of vehicle test equipment and related services 24.0 2000-18 57.0 
			 
			  Department for Social Development
			 SSA strategic partnership contract with EDS 26.5 2002-11 46.9 
			 (1) The Unitary Charge is a composite payment covering repayment of capital, maintenance and the provision of services (e.g. facilities management, cleaning, grounds maintenance) by the contractor as agreed under the PFI contract. Actual unitary charges paid depend on the performance of the contractor in delivering the terms of the contract, and typically include elements that are index linked. (2) ICT (Information and Communication Technology) projects focus on service delivery and may not generate significant fixed assets with appreciable useful after the contract expires. No capital value figures are quoted in such cases.

Benefit Payments: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of  (a) housing benefit,  (b) disability living allowance and  (c) council tax benefit in the Eastbourne constituency in each year since 1997; and how much was claimed in total of each benefit.

Anne McGuire: Information regarding housing benefit and council tax benefit is not available below local authority level. The available information for disability living allowance is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Claims for disability living allowance in Eastbourne parliamentary constituency 
			  As at May each year:  Number in receipt 
			 1997 2,500 
			 1998 2,800 
			 1999 2,900 
			 2000 3,100 
			 2001 3,400 
			 2002 3,180 
			 2003 3,380 
			 2004 3,590 
			 2005 3,760 
			 2006 3,950 
			  Notes: 1. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 2. Case load figures are expressed in thousands and rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied.  Sources: 1. May 1997-May 2001: DWP, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. 2. May 2002-May 2006: DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 
		
	
	
		
			  Total expenditure on disability living allowance in Eastbourne parliamentary constituency 
			  Financial years  Expenditure ( million) 
			 1997-98 6.4 
			 1998-99 7.0 
			 1999-2000 7.4 
			 2000-01 8.1 
			 2001-02 9.3 
			 2002-03 9.0 
			 2003-04 9.8 
			 2004-05 10.7 
			 2005-06 11.7 
			  Note: Figures are consistent with pre-Budget report 2006 and are rounded to the nearest million  Source: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, DWP accounts and forecasts for 2006-07

Benefit Recipients

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are claiming  (a) jobseeker's allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit,  (c) disability living allowance,  (d) lone parent benefit and (e) income-related out-of-work benefit.

Anne McGuire: There is no single income-related out-of-work benefit. Various income-related benefits can be claimed by people who are out of work. There is also not a specific lone parent benefit. In general lone parents claiming benefit claim income support.
	The available information is in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of benefit claimants at May 2006 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 930,860 
			 Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance 2,730,000 
			 Disability living allowance 2,799,000 
			 Lone parents in receipt of income support 774,860 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit includes incapacity benefit contribution-only cases. 2. Lone parents in receipt of income support does not include lone parents who receive incapacity benefits or who are required to be available for work.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent WPLS

Council Tax Benefit

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners live in the Bristol local authority area; how many are in receipt of council tax benefit; and what percentage this represents is of the total number of pensioners living in the constituency.

James Purnell: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Council tax benefit (CTB) recipients by age: Bristol local authority, May 2006 
			   Number/Percentage 
			 CTB recipients aged 60 and over(1) 17,170 
			 Population aged 60 and over 72,200 
			 Percentage of population aged 60 and over(1) in receipt of CTB 23.8 
			 (1) 'Aged 60 and over' is defined as benefit units where the claimant and/or partner are aged 60 and over. Therefore figures will contain some claimants aged under 60 where there is a partner aged over 60 years.  Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. CTB caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10 and percentage to one decimal place. 3. Population figure is rounded to the nearest hundred. 4. Council tax benefit figures exclude any second adult rebate cases. 5. CTB figures are not available at parliamentary constituency level.  Sources: 1. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in May 2006. 2. Mid-2005 ONS population estimates.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many applications for disability living allowance were received in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006; and what percentage of applications was approved;
	(2)  many applications for disability living allowance were received in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006 on grounds of mental health; and what percentage of applications was approved.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the form requested. The available information is that in the 12 months ending on 31 May 2005, 432,670(1) initial claims to disability living allowance were decided, of which 201,100(1) (46.5 per cent.) resulted in an award of the benefit. In 23.5 per cent.(2) of the claims which resulted in an award of the benefit, the main disabling condition was recorded as mental health. For the 12 months ending on 31 May 2006, the corresponding figures were 422,030(1) claims decided, of which 197,850(1) (46.9 per cent.) resulted in an award of the benefit. In 23.2 per cent.(2) of the claims which resulted in an award of the benefit, the main disabling condition was recorded as mental health.
	(1) Source: DWP 100 per cent Management Information Data. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	(2) Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation
	 Notes:
	Figures do not include first awards made as a result of reviews or appeals since decisions following reviews or appeals occur considerably later than the initial decision.

Jobcentre Plus

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of levels of performance of Jobcentre Plus offices in  (a) Wellingborough and  (b) Rushden.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 22 January 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what recent assessment he has made of levels of performance of Jobcentre Plus offices in  (a) Wellingborough and  (b) Rushden. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The latest year to date information, from 1 April 2007, for Wellingborough and Rushden Jobcentres is in the Annex. These Jobcentre Plus sites are part of the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire District. Performance against the Job Outcome Target and the Employer Outcome Target is recorded at district level, not for individual offices.
	The Annex also shows performance information for the Benefit Delivery Centre (BDC) in Wellingborough where the benefit processing work for Wellingborough and Rushden is carried out. This BDC is performing well, with clearance time for all benefits being achieved within the national targets.
	I hope that this is helpful.
	
		
			  Performance against national targets for Wellingborough and Rushden Jobcentres 
			  JOTJob Outcome Target 
			   Percentage 
			 District Performance against Target 84.6 
			 District Performance Target 100 
		
	
	
		
			  Employer Outcome Target 
			   Percentage 
			 District Performance against Target 85.4 
			 District Performance Target 86 
		
	
	
		
			  Customer Service 
			  Percentage 
			   Target  Performance 
			 Rushden 84 89.7 
			 Wellingborough 84 77.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Wellingborough Benefit Delivery Centre 
			  Percentage 
			  Benefit Delivery (Accuracy)  Target  Performance 
			 Income support 89.7 (1)96.59 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 93.7 100 
			 Incapacity benefit 95 96.55 
			 (1 )Interim result. 
		
	
	
		
			  Actual Average Clearance Time 
			  Days 
			   Target  Performance 
			 Income support 11 9.2 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 12 11.7 
			 Incapacity benefit 18 16.1

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were answered with a reply that it had not been possible to reply before prorogation, or similar wording.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Ruffley) on 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 2006W.

Royal Mail

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent using Royal Mail in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The amount spent by the Department on Royal Mail postal services in each year from April 2001 to the end of December 2006 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   million 
			  Category/spend  Post  Post opening  Total 
			 2001-02 68.214 n/a 68.214 
			 2002-03 69.55 n/a 69.55 
			 2003-04 64.366 2.709 67.075 
			 2004-05 66.941 3.224 70.165 
			 2005-06 56.411 2.793 59.204 
			 2006-07 (to 31 December 2006) 39.637 2.639 42.276

Unemployment: Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies have been advertised in Stroud Job Centre in each of the last 24 months; and what the level of unemployment was in Stroud over the same period.

Jim Murphy: The available information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Month of notification  Number of vacancies notified at Stroud Jobcentre Plus office  Monthly jobseeker's allowance claimant count in Stroud local authority area 
			 December 2004 350 780 
			 January 2005 140 860 
			 February 2005 290 850 
			 March 2005 270 850 
			 April 2005 320 780 
			 May 2005 440 780 
			 June 2005 380 780 
			 July 2005 500 860 
			 August 2005 350 910 
			 September 2005 330 860 
			 October 2005 620 820 
			 November 2005 490 790 
			 December 2005 440 810 
			 January 2006 310 950 
			 February 2006 380 960 
			 March 2006 350 930 
			 April 2006 500 910 
			 May 2006 310 890 
			 June 2006 360 800 
			 July 2006 560 830 
			 August 2006 490 910 
			 September 2006 550 900 
			 October 2006 440 830 
			 November 2006 490 850 
			  Notes:  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in he labour market.  3. Unemployment figures are not seasonally adjusted.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System.

Affordable Housing

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have been delivered  (a) nationally and  (b) in each region through section 106 agreements in each of the last three years; how many and what proportion of those homes were available to rent; and how many and what proportion of all total affordable homes delivered in each of the three years resulted from section 106 agreements.

Yvette Cooper: Total number of affordable housing units are shown in the following table by 'social for rent' and by 'all affordable' and by whether section 106 agreements contributed to at least part of the costs.
	
		
			  Affordable units provided by local authorities and registered social landlords 
			   Social rent  All affordable 
			   Total  Of which S106( 1)  Percentage  Total  Of which S106( 1)  Percentage 
			  2003-04   
			 North East 607 128 21 650 133 20 
			 North West 1,712 308 18 2,317 812 35 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,510 502 33 1,815 760 42 
			 East Midlands 1,304 406 31 1,815 898 49 
			 West Midlands 2,139 841 39 2,871 1,199 42 
			 East 2,788 2,003 72 3,823 2,426 63 
			 London 5,386 2,415 45 11,214 3,895 35 
			 South East 4,366 2,358 54 8,768 3,577 41 
			 South West 2,849 1,761 62 3,759 2,680 71 
			 England 22,661 10,722 47 37,032 16,380 44 
			
			  2004-05   
			 North East 619 156 25 728 186 26 
			 North West 1,629 279 17 2,391 631 26 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,207 514 43 1,407 681 48 
			 East Midlands 1,268 766 60 1,944 1,294 67 
			 West Midlands 2,124 1,039 49 3,352 1,672 50 
			 East 2,797 2,150 77 3,907 2,710 69 
			 London 5,142 2,536 49 9,423 3,725 40 
			 South East 4,052 3,122 77 8,239 5,327 65 
			 South West 2.274 1,272 56 3,459 1,949 56 
			 England 21,112 11,834 56 34,850 18,175 52 
			
			  2005-06   
			 North East 771 197 26 972 269 28 
			 North West 1,621 503 31 2,723 1,097 40 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,421 650 46 1,999 1,039 52 
			 East Midlands 1,615 1,040 64 3,003 1,914 64 
			 West Midlands 2,353 1,024 44 4,469 2,046 46 
			 East 2,983 2,110 71 5,304 3,229 61 
			 London 5,573 3,410 61 11,038 4,981 45 
			 South East 4,171 3,497 84 9,171 6,168 67 
			 South West 2,842 1,861 65 4,520 3,126 69 
			 England 23,350 14,292 61 43,199 23,869 55 
			 (1) A section 106 agreement contributed at least part of the cost.  Source: Housing Corporation, annual returns from local authorities (HSSA).

Council Tax

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) disabled people and  (b) people who receive disability allowance have benefited from the disabled band reduction scheme in relation to their council tax.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 18 January 2006
	121,996 properties were benefiting from the council tax disabled band reduction scheme as at 18 September 2006.
	Information on how many  (a) disabled people and  (b) people who receive disability allowance were benefiting from the scheme are not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire and Rescue Service

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many training days were delivered at divisional level by East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Department does not hold this information in the form requested. Available figures for training days delivered at all levels are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Training days delivered by East Sussex FRS 
			   Uniformed staff  Non uniformed staff  Total 
			 2001-02 5,836 207 6,043 
			 2002-03 3,767 263 4,030 
			 2003-04 7,298 404 7,702 
			 2004-05 4,728 364 5,092 
			 2005-06 5,918 779 6,697 
			  Note: 15 working days were lost because of strike action in 2002-03.  Source: Fire and Rescue Service returns to Communities and Local Government.

Fire and Rescue Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) work related and  (b) fire related injuries were sustained by Lancashire fire fighters in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: holding answer 18 January 2007
	The information available is for the period 2002-03 to 2005-06, and is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of Lancashire fire fighters injured 
			   At fires  Other work related  Total 
			 2001-02 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 57 64 121 
			 2003-04 51 53 104 
			 2004-05 60 58 118 
			 2005-06 34 54 88 
			  Notes:  15 days were lost because of strike action in 2002-03. Figures were not provided by the fire and rescue service for 2001-02.  Source:  Fire and Rescue Service returns to Communities and Local Government

Local Government

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the performance of local authorities in matching central government funding for disabled facilities grants.

Yvette Cooper: The latest available data on mandatory disabled facilities grant (DFG) expenditure from local authorities housing strategy statistical return shows that 221 million was spent in 2005-06. Central government contribution to 60 per cent. of DFG was 121 million, while authorities contributed 100 million, well above the required 40 per cent. matched funding.
	In addition, local authorities are required to complete an annual claim form to the Department and maintain financial records which are subject to auditing requirements. The audit includes a check on the level of contribution claimed from central government. If an authority cannot find the matched funding, central government funding cannot be used. However, authorities do have the flexibility to carry over funding to the following year.

Rough Sleepers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on housing rough sleepers since May 1997; and what reductions in rough sleeping have resulted.

Yvette Cooper: The Government recognised the need to increase investment significantly in order to tackle rough sleeping in a sustainable way. This helped achieve the Prime Minister's target of a two-thirds reduction in rough sleeping from the 1998 baseline of 1,850 rough sleepers on the streets of England on any single night. The target was met ahead of time and to date is being sustained. In 2006 there were just over 500, a figure which represents a 73 per cent. reduction on the baseline level.
	Historically, there has been capital expenditure by the Housing Corporation under several rough sleepers initiatives. The rough sleepers unit was set up in 1999 with a budget of almost 200 million over its three-year lifetime. Almost 80 million was administered by the Housing Corporation for permanent accommodation.
	Since 2002-03 local authorities have been responsible for tackling rough sleeping as part of their homeless strategies. Homelessness grant is allocated to support local strategies to ensure the rough sleeping target is sustained. The 90 million Hostels Capital Improvement Programme for 2005-06 to 2007-08 is bringing further improvements by making hostels places of change.
	Finally, the Supporting People grant programme allocated through 150 administering authorities enables the provision of housing-related support services to a wide range of vulnerable groups, including rough sleepers.
	The following table sets out details of the funding for rough sleepers.
	
		
			   million 
			   Local authorities  Voluntary organisations  Hostels Capital Improvement Programme  Supporting People 
			 2006-07 46.3 23.0 20.5 n/a 
			 2005-06 44.5 15.0 41.4 16.3 
			 2004-05 45.8 14.8 15.6 15.0 
			 2003-04 50.6 20.3  12.7 
			 2002-03 48.2 25.0   
			 2001-02 3.5 36.6   
			 2000-01 2.9 28.6   
			 1999-2000 3.1 22.6   
			 1998-99 0.0 19.6   
			 1997-98 0.0 15.8   
			 n/a = Not yet available.

Antisocial Behaviour

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were for antisocial behaviour in Wirral, South in the last period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: There is no criminal offence of antisocial behaviour. Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that 20 persons proceeded against at magistrates court for offences under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, in Merseyside police force area, 2005. It is not possible to provide a further break down as the data is not collected at this level of detail.

Antisocial Behaviour: Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were for antisocial behaviour in Chorley in the last period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: There is no criminal offence of antisocial behaviour. Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that four persons were proceeded against in magistrates' court for offences under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, in Chorley Local Justice area, 2005.

Armed Robberies

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many armed robberies took place in Essex in each of the past five years.

Tony McNulty: Available data relates to the period 2000-01 to 2004-05 and are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 1: robberies( 1)  recorded by Essex police in which firearms (including air weapons) were reported to have been used, 2000-01 and 2004-05 
			   Number of offences 
			 2000-01 47 
			 2001-02(2,3) 56 
			 2002-03 80 
			 2003-04 70 
			 2004-05 25 
			 (1) Robbery includes business and personal. (2) Figures may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002. (3) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this.

ASBOs

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been made by courts in Surrey in each of the last three years; and how many such orders have been breached.

Tony McNulty: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  The number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts in the Surrey Criminal Justice System (CJS) area and the number subsequently proven in court( 1)  to have been breached, for orders issued between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2005 (latest available) 
			   Number of ASBOs issued( 2) 
			   Total  of which breached( 3)  at least once by the end of 2005 
			 2003 7 4 
			 2004 48 31 
			 2005 49 11 
			 (1) Breaches are counted irrespective of where in England and Wales the breach proceedings took place. (2 )Source: As reported to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform by the Court Service. (3 )Source: OCJR Court Proceedings Database.  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Asylum Seekers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the use of dawn raids on asylum seekers;
	(2)  what consultations he has had with legal advisers on the effect of dawn raids on asylum seekers on the right to family life; and what advice he has received on this subject;
	(3)  what notice is given  (a) before and  (b) after dawn raids on asylum seekers to schools attended by the children of those asylum seekers arrested in the raids;
	(4)  for what reasons dawn raids on asylum seeker families before 8:00 a.m. are used; and what notification is given to  (a) the local police,  (b) legal advisers and  (c) hon. Members of the asylum seekers of those raids.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) do not conduct 'raids' against asylum seekers. Officers undertake operational visits to detain and remove persons who no longer have the right to remain in the UK and do so in line with operational policy and guidance.
	In terms of representations the following were consulted during the course of the review of IND's family removals processes, which included the consideration of the timing of detention visits:
	Children's Commissioners for England, Wales, Scotland and N Ireland
	Social Services
	Scottish Executive
	Glasgow City Council
	Independent Monitoring Board, Yarl's Wood Detention Centre
	ACPO and ACPOS
	Medical Foundation
	Save the Children
	Refugee Council
	Scottish Refugee Council
	ILPA (Independent Law Practitioners Association)
	BID (Bail for Immigration Detainees)
	Scottish Refugee Policy Forum
	The Law Society for Scotland.
	In addition, Adjournment debates on family removals were held on 10 and 19 January 2006, raised by the hon. Members for Sunderland South and Falkirk respectively.
	Legal advice on immigration enforcement visits with regard to the right to family life was sought when the Human Rights Act came into effect in October 2000. Legal advice was also provided on the instructions to IND officers, contained in the operational enforcement manual (OEM), with regard to conducting early morning visits. The advice provided was that actions of officers had to be proportionate to the legitimate aim of maintaining an effective immigration control as set out in the Immigration Act 1971, and that each case had to be assessed on its individual merits. IND is aware of the possible traumatising effect of early morning visits when they seek to remove the families of failed asylum seekers. Every effort is made to conduct an immigration enforcement visit with the least disruption to the children and at the best time of day to pick up a family as an entire unit, e.g. before any children depart for school or parents depart for work.
	Information on notifying schools of family detention visits is contained in the chapter 58 of the OEM, and the family removal policy notice (EPU 2/06), both of which are available on the IND website. Chapter 46 of the OEM contains information on early morning visits and about notifying the police of all enforcement operations. Where a person has legal representatives, they are sent copies of all enforcement decision notices which inform the person of their liability to removal. Information on notifying a person of removal directions and the opportunity to seek legal advice is contained in chapter 44 of the OEM.

Asylum Seekers

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were returned to Afghanistan in each of the last 12 months.

John Reid: The table shows the number of persons, who had claimed asylum at some stage, who were removed to Afghanistan between October 2005 and September 2006, by month. These figures include people departing voluntarily after enforcement action has been initiated against them, people leaving under Assisted Voluntary Returns programmes run by the International Organization for Migration and include those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.
	Information on removals of asylum seekers is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	
		
			  Removals, voluntary departures and assisted returns( 1)  of asylum applicants( 2) , including dependants, removed to Afghanistan, October 2005 to September 2006( 3,4) 
			  Number of asylum applicants 
			  Month  Total asylum applicants removed 
			 October 2005 95 
			 November 2006 80 
			 December 2005 70 
			 January 2006 95 
			 February 2006 100 
			 March 2006 85 
			 April 2006 70 
			 May 2006 75 
			 June 2006 70 
			 July 2006 65 
			 August 2006 65 
			 September 2006 95 
			 Total(5) 965 
			 (1) Includes enforced removals, persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2) Persons who had sought asylum at some stage. (3) Figures rounded to the nearest five and may not sum due to rounding. (4) Provisional figures. (5) October 2005 to September 2006.

Crime Statistics

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many muggings (personal robberies) were committed in each of the four Humberside police divisions in the last 12 months; and how many were committed on 11 to 16-year-olds in each case.

John Reid: The recorded crime statistics, collected centrally, relate to numbers of offences. The series does not contain information on victims or offenders.
	The available information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Offences of robbery of personal property in Humberside police force area 2005-06 
			  Basic command unit  Robbery of personal property 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 70 
			 Kingston upon Hull 671 
			 North East Lincolnshire 194 
			 North Lincolnshire 155

Dispersal Orders

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1045W, to the hon. Member for Castle Point on dispersal orders, what data is being collected.

John Reid: Since April 2006 information on dispersal orders has been collected by all forces as part of the Annual Data Requirement. This information covers the number of authorisations made, the number of individuals dispersed and the number of young people aged under 16 removed to their place of residence. This data is being analysed.

Dog Fouling and Litter

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) prosecutions have been made and  (b) fixed penalty notices were issued by each local authority in East Sussex for (i) dog fouling and (ii) dropping of litter in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts in Sussex police force area shows that one person was prosecuted in 2004 under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 Section 3, while four persons were prosecuted (two in 2003 and two in 2004) under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 87 for depositing litter. This information is not collected at local authority level.
	The number of fixed penalty notices issued for the offence of dog fouling and dropping litter in all local authorities in East Sussex is provided in Table 2. This data is submitted on an annual basis by local authorities to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	In addition, the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was introduced in England and Wales in 2004. Under the scheme the police are able to issue to persons suspected of committing specified minor offences, including littering with a fixed penalty notice of 50. No admission of guilt is required and payment of the penalty discharges all liability to conviction for the offence. The number of PNDs issued for littering in Sussex police force area for the years 2004-06 (January to June 2006 provisional data) can be found in PND table 1. PND data cannot currently be broken down further than police force areas. PNDs cannot currently be issued for the offence of dog fouling.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued for depositing and leaving litter in Sussex police force area, 2004 to 06 
			   Depositing and leaving litter 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 4 
			 2006(1) 9 
			 Total 13 
			 (1) January to June 2006 provisional data.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued by East Sussex for dog fouling offences under the Dogs Fouling of Land Act 1996 and for litter under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for the financial years 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			   2002-03  2003-04 
			   Litter  Dogs  Litter  Dogs 
			  Local authority  Issued  Paid  Issued  Paid  Issued  Paid  Issued  Paid 
			 Brighton and Hove BC 0 0 0 0 298 242 0 0 
			 Eastbourne BC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hastings BC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lewes DC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rother DC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wealden DC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			   Litter  Dogs  Litter  Dogs 
			  Local authority  Issued  Paid  Issued  Paid  Issued  Paid  Issued  Paid 
			 Brighton and Hove BC 246 122 0 0 45 20 0 0 
			 Eastbourne BC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hastings BC 0 0 0 0 31 12 2 1 
			 Lewes DC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rother DC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wealden DC 0 0 0 0 33 8 0 0 
			  Source: DEFRA

Driving Without Insurance

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were for driving without insurance in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, for the offence of 'using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks', from 2000 to 2004 (latest available) is provided in the following table.
	2005 data will be available later this year.
	
		
			  Proceedings at magistrates courts for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks( 1)  England and Wales 2000 to 2004 
			   Total number of offences 
			 2000 391,659 
			 2001 388,298 
			 2002 410,398 
			 2003(2) 447,267 
			 2004 441,819 
			 (1) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143 (2). (2) As from 1 June 2003, 'driving a motor vehicle while uninsured against third party risks' became a fixed penalty offence.  Notes:  1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is underway to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system currently being implemented by the Department for Constitutional Affairs reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated.  2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Identity and Passport Service

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1667W, to the hon. Member for Rayleigh on the Identity and Passport Service, if he will break down the figures by project area for 2005-06;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1667W, to the hon. Member for Rayleigh on the Identity and Passport Service, what the reasons were for the increase in spending since 2003-04;
	(3)  how much was spent on rebranding the UK Passport Service as the Identity and Passport Service.

John Reid: holding answer 18 January 2007
	It is not possible for the Identity and Passport Service to break down the total non-permanent staff costs by individual project area for 2005-06. Also non-permanent staff were also employed within corporate support areas. The breakdown of the 2005-06 costs between projects overall and corporate support is shown as follows.
	
		
			  Non permanent staff costs 
			  2005-06   
			 Projects 9,078,259 
			 Corporate Support 8,108,570 
			 Total 17,186.829 
		
	
	The main reason for the increase in spending since 2003-04 is the need to support, through proper project management arrangements, delivery of a highly complex change programme which has included the introduction of e.passports, interviews for first time applicants, the application of the personal identity process to first time adult applicants, and its development through other data sharing arrangements, the trialling of facial recognition as an anti-fraud tool and preparation for the launch of the Identity and Passport Service. Much of this activity required specialist skills not readily available within the Agency, and skills that would not be required permanently.
	The Agency remains committed to replacing wherever possible, non-permanent resources with permanent staff through the training and development of its own existing staff, and other means.
	The Agency expects to have spent 450,000 on re-branding from UK Passport Service to the Identity and Passport Service which represents 0.1 per cent. of expected total Agency spend in the 2006-07 financial year. This expenditure includes costs associated with the brand development, external signage and website development.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of the recommendations of the Directorate of the Immigration and Nationality Complaints Audit Committee he plans to implement; and what timetable he has set to do so.

Liam Byrne: The Complaints Audit Committee (CAC) published their annual report on 14 December 2006. At the same time the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) published a detailed formal response to their report explaining what action we intend to take on each of the CAC's recommendations.
	IND has accepted 52 of the 55 recommendations. At the time of the response 19 of these actions had already been completed.
	A complaints handling programme has been established to overhauling IND's complaints processes in line with Cabinet Office guidance and the CAC's recommendations. The necessary changes will happen over the next 12-15 months.
	Full details and timescales can be found in IND's formal response, available in the Library. It can also be found at:
	www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/cac

PCSD Budget

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual budget is of the Police and Crime Standards Directorate; and how many members of staff it employs.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office Police and Crime Standards Directorate was formed in spring 2006 as a single point of delivery to help manage and support performance across policing, crime and drugs.
	The new directorate brought together several areas of Home Office work, including the Drug Interventions Programme, the Home Office arrangements on tackling prolific and other priority offenders, the Police Standards Unit and the Partnership Performance Support Unit.
	In 2006-07 the total budget delegation for the directorate was 204.5 million. The allocation between units is shown in the following table.
	The programmes were delivered by some 150 staff including secondees from police forces and local government, operational researchers, forensic science specialists as well as Home Office officials. The staff as at end of December 2006 in each unit is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Unit  Staff as at 31 December 2006  Total 2006-07 budget ( million) 
			 Local Delivery Unit 13 0.8 
			 Partnership Performance and Support Unit 19.5 2.3 
			 Performance Framework and Assessment Unit 12.6 5.3 
			 Performance and Partnership Policy Unit 17.7 2.3 
			 Police Standards Unit 25 20.1 
			 Offender-based Interventions Unit(1) 47.8 170.0 
			 Business Support Unit 15 3.7 
			 Total 150.6 204.6 
			 (1 )Incorporates Drug Interventions and Prolific and other Priority Offenders Programmes

Police

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the gross revenue expenditure for police authorities per capita was in each year since 1992 in  (a) Devon and Cornwall and  (b) England and Wales.

Tony McNulty: The information requested, where available, is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Gross revenue expenditure per capita, 1991-92 to 2005-06 
			   Devon and Cornwall  England and Wales 
			 1995-96(1,2) 96.26 126.27 
			 1996-97 101.01 134.35 
			 1997-98 104.21 139.13 
			 1998-99 115.03 144.04 
			 1999-2000 116.01 150.20 
			 2000-01 119.67 159.38 
			 2001-02 132.23 171.33 
			 2002-03 142.47 178.78 
			 2003-04 144.32 192.79 
			 2004-05 163.47 217.06 
			 2005-06(3) 163.09 219.64 
			 2006-07(3) 164.37 230.77 
			 (1) Figures before 1995-96 were not reliable due to changes in police authority structure (2) Essex not included (3) Figures are estimates  Source: Gross Revenue Expenditure Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Resident PopulationDepartment for Communities and Local Government

Police

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total police office strength was in  (a) Sussex and  (b) England in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The available data are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Police officer strength (FTE)( 1)  in Sussex and England as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006( 2) 
			   Sussex  England 
			 1997 3,085 118,455 
			 1998 2,998 118,140 
			 1999 2,847 117,195 
			 2000 2,822 115,324 
			 2001 2,855 116,547 
			 2002 2,893 120,075 
			 2003 2,989 124,157 
			 2004 3,039 129,688 
			 2005 3,044 131,949 
			 2006 3,092 132,107 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent. All officers less staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave (comparable with previously published figures) (2 )This and other tables contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

Speed Limit Offences

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers were found guilty of a speed limit offence in each police force area in each of the last five years; and what the  (a) maximum,  (b) minimum and  (c) average penalty imposed in each police force in each year was for such an offence.

Vernon Coaker: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, up to 2004 (latest available) are given in the tables.
	Information for parts  (a),  (b) and  (c) of the question is given for 2004 (only). To provide data for earlier years would be disproportionate to costs.
	
		
			  Table A: Findings of guilt at all courts for speed limit offences( 1) , by police force area, England and Wales, 2000-04 
			  Number of offences 
			   Total findings of guilt 
			  Police force area  2000( 2)  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Avon and Somerset 4,401 5,769 5,060 6,914 6,996 
			 Bedfordshire 2,041 2,369 1,590 3,589 1,182 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,641 768 533 1,190 1,778 
			 Cheshire 4,625 3,930 4,016 3,110 4,185 
			 Cleveland 1,021 1,357 1,164 1,339 1,732 
			 Cumbria 1,548 1,571 1,622 2,027 2,377 
			 Derbyshire 5,001 6,081 3,754 3,590 3,379 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4,290 3,857 3,493 4,954 4,954 
			 Dorset 1,274 958 1,043 1,546 1,710 
			 Durham 1,396 1,794 1,641 1,064 739 
			 Essex 6,349 9,208 14,660 9,357 8,405 
			 Gloucestershire 2,164 1,871 901 820 811 
			 Greater Manchester 14,712 10,566 7,321 6,396 4,838 
			 Hampshire 6,075 5,504 5,043 5,363 4,304 
			 Hertfordshire 2,300 2,110 2,359 2,195 1,823 
			 Humberside 1,945 2,476 1,149 1,209 3,658 
			 Kent 2,276 2,401 1,703 3,012 3,264 
			 Lancashire 5,268 4,468 3,895 6,862 5,078 
			 Leicestershire 2,047 1,791 1,789 3,091 2,235 
			 Lincolnshire 3,579 4,176 3,729 4,316 4,396 
			 London, City of 164 103 567 1,144 1,802 
			 Merseyside 1,439 722 654 972 944 
			 Metropolitan Police 8,364 8,946 7,635 7,208 6,787 
			 Norfolk 1,415 1,488 1,315 2,426 2,809 
			 Northamptonshire 256 406 230 2,877 4,047 
			 Northumbria 3,638 2,451 2,669 2,290 3,881 
			 North Yorkshire 1,225 1,419 1,253 1,529 2,048 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,399 1,764 2,065 3,828 4,213 
			 South Yorkshire 2,560 2,690 1,868 1,231 2,655 
			 Staffordshire  949 1,105 2,237 4,484 
			 Suffolk 1,233 1,252 1,284 776 1,856 
			 Surrey 2,927 3,478 2,021 1,508 287 
			 Sussex 3,541 2,677 1,784 2,819 262 
			 Thames Valley 7,845 9,264 11,086 9,416 8,919 
			 Warwickshire 4,654 3,641 1,758 2,331 1,736 
			 West Mercia 2,741 2,633 2,260 1,347 403 
			 West Midlands 3,523 4,021 4,794 5,132 7,427 
			 West Yorkshire 5,774 4,526 2,366 3,445 4,344 
			 Wiltshire 2,325 2,192 2,696 4,057 4,055 
			 Dyfed-Powys 933 666 623 1,581 1,261 
			 Gwent 4,041 2,826 2,245 2,655 2,283 
			 North Wales 2,826 2,683 3,861 4,340 4,636 
			 South Wales 2,739 1,791 2,015 2,959 4,217 
			 England and Wales 141,415 135,613 124,619 140,052 143,200 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 ss. 16, 81, 84, 86, 88 7 89; Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regs. 1973; Parks Regulation (Amendment) Act 1926byelaws made there under. (2) Estimates made for Staffordshire Police Force, who were only able to submit data for a sample of weeks in 2000, have been included in totals only.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system currently being implemented by the Department for Constitutional Affairs reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Court imposed maximum, minimum and average fine for speed limit offences( 1) , by police force area, England and Wales, 2004 
			  Police force area  Total number of fines  of which: maximum fine given ()  of which: minimum fine given ()  Average fine ()( 2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 6,923 840 (3)10 140 
			 Bedfordshire 1,171 1,000 15 100 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,754 1,000 25 140 
			 Cheshire 4,153 1,000 10 100 
			 Cleveland 1,665 800 10 100 
			 Cumbria 2,366 1,000 20 180 
			 Derbyshire 3,329 1,000 (3)10 130 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4,869 1,000 (3)10 130 
			 Dorset 1,666 1,000 (3)10 110 
			 Durham 716 900 (3)10 120 
			 Essex 8,292 1,000 20 90 
			 Gloucestershire 786 1,000 20 120 
			 Greater Manchester 4,745 1,000 (3)10 90 
			 Hampshire 4,237 1,000 (3)10 160 
			 Hertfordshire 1,806 1,000 (3)10 150 
			 Humberside 3,592 750 10 100 
			 Kent 3,223 1,000 10 160 
			 Lancashire 5,030 1,000 10 100 
			 Leicestershire 2,173 1,000 15 150 
			 Lincolnshire 4,356 1,000 20 90 
			 London, City of 1,790 1,000 20 100 
			 Merseyside . 893 600 20 80 
			 Metropolitan Police 6,646 1,000 10 120 
			 Norfolk 2,764 1,000 (3)10 170 
			 Northamptonshire 4,001 750 (3)10 80 
			 Northumbria 3,770 750 15 90 
			 North Yorkshire 2,034 .1,000 18 160 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,146 800 10 110 
			 South Yorkshire 2,584 1,000 20 110 
			 Staffordshire 4,449 1,000 (3)10 120 
			 Suffolk 1,820 1,000 10 160 
			 Surrey 279 1,000 15 170 
			 Sussex 247 900 20 100 
			 Thames Valley 8,862 1,000 (3)10 100 
			 Warwickshire 1,707 1,000 (3)10 170 
			 West Mercia 383 1,000 20 130 
			 West Midlands 7,362 1,000 (3)10 110 
			 West Yorkshire 4,263 1,000 10 120 
			 Wiltshire 4,022 900 10 170 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,231 700 35 130 
			 Gwent 2,270 1,000 20 150 
			 North Wales 4,597 1,000 (3)10 100 
			 South Wales 4,146 1,000 30 100 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 ss. 16, 81, 84, 86, 88 7 89; Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regs. 1973; Parks Regulation (Amendment) Act 1926byelaws made there under. (2) Rounded to the nearest 10. (3) Or less.  Notes:  1. Standard Rate maximum fine is Level 3 (1,000). 2. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Department for Constitutional Affairs reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated.  3. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Wounding Victims

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims there were of  (a) unlawful woundings and  (b) wounding with intent in each of the last six years in London, broken down by borough operational command unit.

Tony McNulty: The available information relates to offences of more and less serious wounding recorded by the police and is given in the following tables.
	The 'more serious wounding' classification includes offences of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm. However, these offences cannot be separately identified from other offences which are recorded within this classification.
	
		
			  Table 1: Offences of less serious wounding recorded by the police in London2000-01 and 2001-02 
			  Basic Command Unit  2000-01  2001-02 
			  City of London police   
			 Bishopsgate 114 131 
			 Snowhill 87 61 
			 Total 201 192 
			  Metropolitan police   
			 Barking and Dagenham 689 710 
			 Barnet 1,408 1,294 
			 Bexley 492 648 
			 Brent 1,194 1,118 
			 Bromley 871 954 
			 Camden 2,094 2,060 
			 City of Westminster 2,435 2,495 
			 Croydon 1,561 1,710 
			 Ealing 1,605 1,622 
			 Enfield 1,380 1,513 
			 Greenwich 1,357 1,294 
			 Hackney 1,971 1,805 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,042 1,185 
			 Haringey 1,939 1,830 
			 Harrow 858 868 
			 Havering 754 697 
			 Heathrow 44 40 
			 Hillingdon 1,211 1,483 
			 Hounslow 1,340 1,401 
			 Islington 1,744 1,398 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 998 929 
			 Kingston upon Thames 732 786 
			 Lambeth 2,363 2,776 
			 Lewisham 1,508 1,370 
			 Merton 798 928 
			 Newham 1,429 1,626 
			 Redbridge 830 784 
			 Richmond upon Thames 495 633 
			 Southwark 1,449 1,208 
			 Sutton 421 431 
			 Tower Hamlets 871 864 
			 Waltham Forest 906 1,037 
			 Wandsworth 1,084 1,182 
			 Total 39,873 40,679 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Offences of less serious wounding recorded by the police in London2002-03 to 2005-06 
			  Basic Command Unit  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  City of London police 
			 Bishopsgate 182 124 155 140 
			 Snowhill 95 146 129 103 
			 Total 277 270 284 243 
			  
			  Metropolitan police 
			 Barking and Dagenham 657 863 2,058 2,472 
			 Barnet 1,165 1,227 2,438 2,427 
			 Bexley 651 717 1,518 1,963 
			 Brent 1,209 1,104 3,138 3,151 
			 Bromley 1,008 1,172 2,375 2,749 
			 Camden 1,864 1,805 2,391 2,577 
			 City of Westminster 2,362 2,448 2,976 3,334 
			 Croydon 1,787 1,812 3,093 3,168 
			 Ealing 1,709 1,730 2,768 3,293 
			 Enfield 1,574 1,343 1,677 1,833 
			 Greenwich 1,661 1,496 2,290 2,962 
			 Hackney 1,748 1,844 2,382 2,835 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,272 1,209 1,328 1,926 
			 Haringey 1,800 1,781 2,424 3,145 
			 Harrow 897 775 1,044 1,174 
			 Havering 620 593 1,316 1,943 
			 Heathrow 52 48 80 60 
			 Hillingdon 1,402 1,284 2,318 2,817 
			 Hounslow 1,731 1,454 1,735 2,459 
			 Islington 1,428 1,469 2,451 2,707 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 993 1,035 1,041 1,294 
			 Kingston upon Thames 530 619 1,444 1,730 
			 Lambeth 2,729 2,815 3,006 3,903 
			 Lewisham 1,357 1,498 2,764 3,995 
			 Merton 841 874 1,412 1,684 
			 Newham 1,498 1,569 3,208 3,536 
			 Redbridge 841 738 1,534 1,956 
			 Richmond upon Thames 401 429 951 1,112 
			 Southwark 1,707 2,074 3,525 3,929 
			 Sutton 493 427 1,154 1,383 
			 Tower Hamlets 827 941 2,046 2,847 
			 Waltham Forest 1,058 1,077 1,789 2,769 
			 Wandsworth 1,325 1,239 2,092 2,602 
			 Total 41,197 41,509 67,766 81,735 
			  Note: The National Crime Recording standard was introduced nationally in April 2002. Figures after that date are therefore not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Offences of more serious wounding or other act endangering life recorded by the police in London2000-01 and 2001-02 
			  Basic Command Unit  2000-01  2001-02 
			  City of London police   
			 Bishopsgate 2 5 
			 Snowhill 4 3 
			 Total 6 8 
			
			  Metropolitan police   
			 Barking and Dagenham 46 63 
			 Barnet 43 32 
			 Bexley 29 14 
			 Brent 92 87 
			 Bromley 37 38 
			 Camden 104 89 
			 City of Westminster 105 111 
			 Croydon 89 112 
			 Ealing 83 91 
			 Enfield 60 67 
			 Greenwich 58 50 
			 Hackney 124 91 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 39 53 
			 Haringey 102 106 
			 Harrow 21 22 
			 Havering 37 26 
			 Heathrow 2 2 
			 Hillingdon 43 48 
			 Hounslow 46 51 
			 Islington 92 70 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 45 28 
			 Kingston upon Thames 14 18 
			 Lambeth 116 156 
			 Lewisham 88 76 
			 Merton 14 29 
			 Newham 102 101 
			 Redbridge 39 31 
			 Richmond upon Thames 24 18 
			 Southwark 105 74 
			 Sutton 15 25 
			 Tower Hamlets 106 106 
			 Waltham Forest 59 50 
			 Wandsworth 58 61 
			 Total 2,037 1,996 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Offences of more serious wounding or other act endangering life recorded by the police in London2002-03 to 2005-06 
			  Basic Command Unit  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  City of London police 
			 Bishopsgate 5 1 4 6 
			 Snowhill 5 4 3 4 
			 Total 10 5 7 10 
			  
			  Metropolitan police 
			 Barking and Dagenham 35 65 82 63 
			 Barnet 39 55 49 36 
			 Bexley 21 29 42 48 
			 Brent 54 107 113 115 
			 Bromley 29 43 54 62 
			 Camden 91 127 108 88 
			 City of Westminster 92 158 157 145 
			 Croydon 71 86 100 82 
			 Ealing 96 111 154 112 
			 Enfield 59 51 67 59 
			 Greenwich 49 67 109 94 
			 Hackney 93 139 142 167 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 55 71 77 56 
			 Haringey 78 100 112 143 
			 Harrow 24 36 34 31 
			 Havering 30 36 46 46 
			 Heathrow 0 1 1 2 
			 Hillingdon 46 46 80 69 
			 Hounslow 57 57 71 79 
			 Islington 76 103 112 113 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 38 32 37 33 
			 Kingston upon Thames 20 28 29 34 
			 Lambeth 138 188 156 147 
			 Lewisham 80 105 108 103 
			 Merton 21 30 45 40 
			 Newham 79 103 131 115 
			 Redbridge 36 39 72 51 
			 Richmond upon Thames 23 23 29 11 
			 Southwark 97 153 208 191 
			 Sutton 19 18 26 36 
			 Tower Hamlets 79 91 134 152 
			 Waltham Forest 38 62 98 105 
			 Wandsworth 81 72 90 75 
			 Total 1,844 2,432 2,873 2,703 
			  Note: The National Crime Recording standard was introduced nationally in April 2002. Figures after that date are therefore not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Iran

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the military capability of the Iranian armed forces.

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the military capability of the Iranian armed forces.

Des Browne: We routinely assess the military capability of other nations' armed forces, including that of Iran.

Housing: Service Personnel

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of housing for service personnel and their families.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Newbury (Mr. Benyon) and North-West Norfolk (Mr. Bellingham).

Parachute Regiment

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what parachute training is undertaken by the Parachute Regiment.

Adam Ingram: Recruits to the Parachute Regiment attend the Basic Parachute Course at Brize Norton which includes seven parachute descents. On successful completion personnel receive their wings. Parachute training continues at unit level through programmed collective training exercises.
	In addition 'PARA' qualified soldiers are required to conduct one parachute descent every two years in order to maintain their parachute currency.

Ammunition

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what security measures are in place to protect ammunition being transported by rail within the United Kingdom.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence and its rail freight contractor, English, Welsh and Scottish (EWS) Railway Ltd, has a range of measures in place to protect MOD-owned ammunition when it is being transported by rail within the UK.
	All trains carrying MOD ammunition are notified to the British Transport Police, including their itinerary and anticipated stops. The progress of each train is closely monitored using a number of methods, including satellite tracking, by the EWS Railway Control Room. When consignments of military explosives are planned to be held or stored on the contractor's property for a period exceeding 48 hours, the contractor is responsible for providing comprehensive security at that location and to notifying the appropriate civil police authority. When a stop is unplanned, the contractor is required to provide adequate security arrangements at the location and inform MOD.
	Although the contractor is fully responsible for security the MOD closely monitors performance through formal quarterly contract performance review meetings.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to  (a) increase recruitment levels to and  (b) reduce outflow from the UK's armed forces.

Derek Twigg: All three services undertake numerous and varied initiatives, both at national and local level, aimed at sustaining and increasing the level of recruitment to the armed forces. Included amongst the many current initiatives are:
	The use of multi-media advertising campaigns;
	Services' recruiting teams' attendance at schools, careers fairs and graduate recruitment seminars, road shows, exhibitions, youth clubs and organisations;
	Specialist teams to attract doctors, dentists, nurses, lawyers and padres by promoting service careers within specialist recruitment shows and through professional bodies;
	Work experience placements within service establishments;
	Personal development courses and look at life courses for young people who express an interest in the armed forces;
	Taster day visits to HM ships and service establishments;
	A dedicated careers website for each of the services complete with a dedicated information support call centre;
	An Army 'on-line' recruiting office, with plans for this to be replicated by the other services;
	Specialist ethnic minority recruiting and diversity action teams aimed at promoting armed forces careers amongst the UK's ethnic minority and faith communities;
	A partnership with Jobcentre Plus, making use of its network (totalling in excess of 1,100) of local outlets.
	Retention measures such as commitment bonuses, re-engagement packages, financial retention initiatives and initiatives to improve work/life balance and working conditions at the front line, continue to be used with the aim of discouraging outflow.
	Our aim is to maintain stable levels of retention through policies that genuinely reflect the priorities of our people and their families whilst optimising their operational effectiveness. For example, the terms and conditions of service in the armed forces are continually being reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate to the requirements and that entitlements are best targeted to enhance recruitment and retention. There are a number of specific initiatives currently being undertaken such as the strategic remuneration review and the defence living accommodation strategy which will contribute towards this effort. In addition, we have made improvements to travel allowances to permit personnel to get home more easily and continue to refine the operational welfare package while also promoting measures such as work/life balance and career breaks to improve the day-to-day lives of service personnel and their families.

Army Strength

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the size of the Army has changed since 1982.

Des Browne: The table shows the Army total strength for each year at 1 April since 1982:
	
		
			   Total strength 
			 1982 163,150 
			 1983 159,070 
			 1984 161,540 
			 1985 162,400 
			 1986 161,400 
			 1987 159,690 
			 1988 158,110 
			 1989 155,570 
			 1990 152,810 
			 1991 147,640 
			 1992 145,360 
			 1993 134,580 
			 1994 123,030 
			 1995 111,690 
			 1996 108,840 
			 1997 108,810 
			 1998 109,830 
			 1999 109,720 
			 2000 110,050 
			 2001 109,530 
			 2002 110,050 
			 2003 112,130 
			 2004 112,750 
			 2005 109,290 
			 2006 107,730 
			  Notes:   1. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in the nearest multiple of 5 have been rounded to 20 to prevent systematic bias.  2. The figures in the table are the latest published version available. Over the period 1982-2006 it is possible that these figures have subsequently been revised and also that definitions of strength have changed slightly. UK regular forces includes nursing services and excludes full-time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists.

Departmental Contracts: Scotland

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the value was of his Department's new build contracts placed with Scottish facilities in each year since 1995;
	(2)  what the value was of his Department's maintenance contracts placed with Scottish facilities in each year since 1995.

Derek Twigg: The information requested will take a little time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Projects

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been of  (a) Project SLAM and  (b) Project Allenby/Connaught in each year of the contract.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 16 January 2007
	Expenditure on Phase 1 of the Single Living Accommodation Modernisation Project (Project SLAM) over the period of the contract is set out in the following table. In addition to providing details of expenditure approved as part of the original SLAM programme the table also sets-out expenditure in support of projects separately funded by the services but delivered through Project SLAM.
	
		
			   million 
			   SLAM programme  Separately funded  Total 
			 2002-03 1.0  1.0 
			 2003-04 67.7  67.7 
			 2004-05 116.9 4.0 120.9 
			 2005-06 108.3 42.7 151.0 
			 2006-07(1) 87.3 44.2 131.5 
			 (1) Forecast. 
		
	
	Further funding of around 100 million (excluding projects separately funded by the services) has been allocated to SLAM in FY 2007-08 for completion of the Phase 1 programme. Phase 2 of SLAM has been approved with funding of 335 million over the five years 2008-09 to 2012-13 for the delivery of up to a further 3,800 bed spaces.
	The contract for Project Allenby/Connaught was awarded in March 2006 and the forecast of expenditure from contract comment to 31 March 2007 is 83.2 million.

Security Threats

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the specific security threats that will be facing the UK between 2020 and 2050; what form he expects them to take; from which country or countries he expects them to come; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The 2003 Defence White Paper: Delivering Security in a Changing World described the nature of the security challenges facing the United Kingdom and the defence response to them. The paper highlighted the complex and inter-related threats posed by international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the range of risks associated with weak and failing states. We expect these to remain the security priorities for the UK. However, we also recognise that there are a number of pressures which may complicate or exacerbate this picture up to and beyond 2020, and that unexpected strategic shocks might also alter these priorities. We have therefore developed balanced and flexible armed forces which are able to respond to the inherent uncertainty of the future. This assessment informed the recent White Paper, The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cmd 6994), published on 4 December 2006.

Bioenergy

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what definition his Department uses of  (a) biomass,  (b) biofuels and  (c) bioenergy; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Biomass is a shorthand of biological mass. This is a broad term, used to cover both biofuels and bioenergy sources.
	Biofuels can be any fuels-use to produce bioenergy, but tend to be more commonly used to refer to biologically derived fuels for transport uses e.g. biodiesel and bioethanol. Bioenergy can refer to any energy derived from biomass or biofuels but is more commonly used for heat and power generated from biomass.
	In the Government response to the Biomass Task Force (link below) bioenergy is defined as 'biomass derived from energy crops such as short-rotation coppice and miscanthus forestry and agricultural plant and animal wastes. It can be used to generate Electricity and/or heat and to produce transport fuel.'
	In Table 7.7 of the Renewables chapter of the DTI's Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKESlink below) the term Biofuels is used as a heading (other headings used are Wind, Solar photovoltaics Geothermal aquifers and Hydro) to cover
	Landfill gas
	Sewage sludge digestion
	Wood combustiondomestic and industrial
	Municipal solid waste combustion
	Co-firing with fossil fuels
	Other biofuels include, but are not restricted to, farm waste digestion, poultry litter, combustion, meat and bone combustion, straw, and energy crops.
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/defrasearch/index.jsp?query=Biomass+Task+Force
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/statistics/publications/dukes/page29812.html

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of expenditure by his Department in each of the Government Office regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is shown on pages 178 to 181 (Annexes A7, A8 and A9) of DTI's 'Departmental Report 2006 (Cm 6826)'.

Doha Round

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employees of UK Trade and Investment work in Mercosur countries; and what the projected staffing level is  (a) in six months and  (b) at the beginning of 2008.

Ian McCartney: There are currently 73.5 UK Trade and Investment staff working in the Mercosur countries. The following table highlights the allocation of staff in the markets that have foil and associate membership of Mercosur over the next two years. This is, however, subject to regular reviews and staffing levels will depend on operational requirements and available resources.
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Brazil 38 41 41 
			 Argentina 7.8 7.8 7.8 
			 Paraguay 0 0 0 
			 Uruguay 1.9 1.9 0 
			 Venezuela 5.0 5.0 5.0 
			 Bolivia 2.2 2.2 2.2 
			 Peru 4.6 4.6 4.6 
			 Colombia 4.4 4.4 3.4 
			 Ecuador 3.4 3.4 3.4 
			 Chile 6.2 6.2 6.2 
			 Total 73.5 76.5 73.6

East of England Tourist Board

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the East of England Development Agency has provided additional funding to the East of England Tourist Board for  (a) the latter half of 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08.

Margaret Hodge: A budget of 1 million for 2006-07 and 1 million for 2007-08 was agreed by the EEDA Boards to fund the activities of the new EETB. No additional funding has been given in 2006-07 and additional funding has neither been requested or agreed for 2007-08.

Energy Market

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps  (a) his Department and  (b) Ofgem have taken to support small businesses in the energy market.

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI and the Small Business Service provides advice to small businesses across all sectors, including Energy, through the Business Link network. Small business consumers are encouraged to approach their local Business Link to find out what information and support is available in their region.
	In respect of support in the energy market, in November 2005, DTI and Energywatch organised the SME/Public Sector Seminar to spread best practice. Ofgem organises a Small and Medium User Group and a Non-domestic Review Group to provide practical advice and information for small businesses. This group enables consumer representative bodies and trade associations to meet energy suppliers to discuss practical steps to help make energy contracts more user-friendly and to help improve customer's understanding of contracts. Ofgem is also currently exploring with Energywatch, the statutory gas and electricity consumer body, the possibility of conducting a Business Customer Satisfaction survey in the near future.

Energy Supplies

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has assessed the impact on small businesses of poor billing by energy suppliers.

Malcolm Wicks: Billing arrangements are a contractual matter between the supplier and the customer. Ofgem is responsible for overseeing the performance of suppliers, and to decide what appropriate regulatory action is to be taken should a supplier fail to meet its obligations.
	The issue of gas and electricity metering and billing is also the subject of a consultation as part of the Energy Review. The consultation closes on 6 February.

Light Bulbs

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support is available to companies manufacturing energy efficient light bulbs in the United Kingdom.

Margaret Hodge: The Government remain fully committed to raising product standards and encouraging consumers to use the most energy efficient domestic appliances available.
	The Government have put in place a comprehensive package of policies and measures to drive an increase in energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy. Within this programme, we are working hard to encourage the take up of low-energy light bulbs as widely as possible, including through the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC)an obligation on energy suppliers to promote improvements in household energy efficiency. Under the first three-year phase of EEC to 2005 around 30 million compact fluorescent light bulbs were distributed, and this number is expected to rise to over 40 million during the current three-year phase to 2008.
	The Government's Market Transformation programme (MTP) supports measures such as the mandatory EU energy labelling scheme which, for domestic light bulbs, has been mandatory since 1 January 2001. Energy labels provide clear and easily recognisable information about the energy consumption and performance of domestic products on a 7-point scale ranging from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient), thus enabling consumers to make a considered choice when purchasing energy consuming products. Furthermore, minimum energy performance standards have resulted in the removal of the most inefficient fluorescent lamp ballasts from the market. (Lamp ballasts are required to control the current passing through fluorescent discharge tubes, which dissipate energy and can affect the light output efficiency of the fluorescent tube itself).
	MTP also works with the Lighting Association, the Lighting Industry Federation, the Energy Saving Trust and Energy Efficiency Partnership, to promote energy efficient lighting which is both commercially viable and acceptable to consumers. The Energy Saving Trust endorses and vigorously promotes the best lighting products under its energy efficiency recommended scheme and building regulations require new housing to be have a minimum number of energy efficient fittings.
	Looking to the future, we can expect further advances in lighting technologies including, for example, solid state LEDs which have the potential to provide high efficiency, low cost and long-life alternatives for a range of ordinary, decorative and reflector bulbs. We hope this will then lead to acceptable and affordable energy efficient alternatives across the whole range of lighting products.

Post Offices

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices there were in Eastbourne constituency in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. (POL) is directly responsible. The company has provided the following figures relating to the numbers of post office branches in the constituency:
	
		
			  Eastbourne constituency 
			   Number of open Post Office branches 
			 2001-02 22 
			 2002-03 22 
			 2003-04 17 
			 2004-05 16 
			 2005-06 17 
		
	
	This information commenced from the end of 2002, data by constituency is not available prior to this. The information is placed in and available from the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new post offices were opened in each of the last 10 years; and how many closed post offices were reopened.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. (POL) is directly responsible. The company has provided the figures relating to the numbers of Post Office branches.
	The historic information that is available on the network of Post Office branches is the number of open Post Office branches on an annual basis.
	
		
			   Total number of open Post Office branches 
			 1996-97 19,251 
			 1997-98 19,008 
			 1998-99 18,775 
			 1999-2000 18,393 
			 2000-01 17,846 
			 2001-02 17,584 
			 2002-03 17,239 
			 2003-04 15,961 
			 2004-05 14,609 
			 2005-06 14,376

Post Offices

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the economic impact of the programme of post office closures on  (a) the Scottish economy and  (b) the economy of Perth and Kinross.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No assessment can be made of the economic impact of post office closures on the Scottish economy and of Perth and Kinross before local area implementation plans have been developed by Post Office Ltd following Government's final decisions after National Public Consultation.

Post Offices

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the likely cost to small and medium-sized businesses of the programme of post office closures.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Government provide support for the Post Office network on the basis of the valuable social and economic role that many offices are seen to play. Proposals for the network include continued funding for this role and comprehensive access criteria to maintain a national network. In developing these proposals, the Government have looked at the wide range of research from Postcomm, Postwatch, the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters and others but has not undertaken a separate estimate of costs to small and medium-sized businesses.
	A public consultant was announce on 14 December 2006, which will conclude in 8 March 2007.

Post Offices

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of his programme of post office closures.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No specific assessment has been made but the number of wholly additional or extended motor vehicle journeys is not expected to be great given the proposed access criteria which specifically address access to post offices in rural and remote areas.

Regional Development Agencies

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the projected  (a) total budget and  (b) administration costs of each regional development agency is for 2007-08.

Margaret Hodge: The table shows the indicative total RDA grant in aid budget for each Regional Development Agency and their projected administration costs for 2007-08.
	Administrative budgets include resources for staff involved in both policy and delivery as well as back office functions.
	
		
			  RDA total budget and administration budget for 2007-08 
			   million 
			   Total budget  Administration budget 
			 Advantage West Midlands 291 20 
			 East of England Development Agency 138 11 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 167 16 
			 London Development Agency 400 28 
			 North West Development Agency 409 38 
			 One North East 258 22 
			 South East Development Agency 167 20 
			 South West Development Agency 164 22 
			 Yorkshire Forward 316 19

Regional Funding

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the South East England Development Agency spent in each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: The table shows the South East England Development Agency's (SEEDA) annual spend for 2005-06, broken down to a sub regional level.
	SEEDA does not provide expenditure breakdowns on the basis of all counties and unitary authorities within the region. Much of SEEDA's spend is allocated across administrative boundaries, and this cannot be disaggregated to local authority boundaries levels.
	
		
			  Sub-region  Spend 2005-06 () 
			 Berkshire unitary authorities 4,247,471.04 
			 Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes 1,867,303.21 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 22,174,844.97 
			 Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and Isle of Wight 38,236,206.41 
			 Kent and Medway 36,545,375.53 
			 Oxfordshire 5,564,708.01 
			 Surrey 4,376,371.19 
			 West Sussex 8,630,872.87 
			 Regionwide and Cross Region 36,996,847.49 
			 Total 158,640,000.72

Smarter Metering

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with suppliers about the minimum level of functionality of smarter metering systems.

Malcolm Wicks: Gas and electricity suppliers are currently discussing the inter-operability of smart metering systems, including levels of functionality. In light of this work, and similar discussions by other industry groups, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), which is responsible for gas and electricity regulation, has established a Metering Inter-operability Steering Group to oversee the development of inter-operability arrangements to promote and support the introduction of smart metering. This group gives the industry as a whole the opportunity to manage the process and reach collective, consistent decisions.

Solar Panels

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department has made available for the installation of solar panels in the West Country in the last three years; what provision the Government will be making in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 18 January 2007
	The Government have provided financial support for the installation of solar panels through the Solar PV Major Demonstration and Low Carbon Buildings programmes. Details of grant payments made in the south west region over the past three years are as follows.
	
		
			   Grants paid () 
			  Solar PV Major Demonstration Programme  
			 2004-05 358,439 
			 2005-06 877,401 
			 2006-07(1) 849,892 
			   
			  Low Carbon Buildings Programme  
			 2006-07 87,167 
			 (1 )Scheme closure 31 March 2007. 
		
	
	The Low Carbon Buildings programme is a national programme, and as a result, does not make grant provision for a specific region going forward.

Solar Panels

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what grants were made available by his Department for the installation of solar panels in each of the last three years; and how many solar panels were installed in each region in the UK where Government grants were available.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 18 January 2007
	The Government have provided financial support for the installation of solar panels through the Solar PV Major Demonstration and Low Carbon Buildings Programmes. Details of grant payments made in each of the past three financial years are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Solar PV Major Demonstration Programme 
			   
			  Region  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 East Midlands 86,332 257,612 178,897 
			 Eastern 458,436 175,723 157,127 
			 London 199,669 552,799 347,289 
			 North East 62,640 196,634 67,501 
			 North West 154,678 312,549 367,697 
			 Northern Ireland 220,699 423,880 251,422 
			 Scotland 103,561 107,316 103,230 
			 South East 658,904 1,134,619 826,148 
			 South West 358,439 877,401 849,892 
			 Wales 107,286 300,728 271,551 
			 West Midlands 72,781 273,786 126,477 
			 Yorkshire/Humberside 92,408 172,439 247,623 
			 Total 2,575,833 4,785,486 3,794,854 
		
	
	
		
			  Low Carbon Buildings Programme 
			  Region  2006-07 () 
			 East Midlands 28,105 
			 Eastern 103,403 
			 London 94,654 
			 North East 3,600 
			 North West 27,340 
			 Northern Ireland 8,400 
			 Scotland 33,730 
			 South East 286,422 
			 South West 87,167 
			 Wales 29,449 
			 West Midlands 50,236 
			 Yorkshire/Humberside 43,615 
			 Total 796,121

Solar Panels

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to encourage the installation of solar panels in the West Country.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 18 January 2007
	The Low Carbon Buildings Programme was launched in April 2006, and has a budget of 80 million to be allocated over three years. The scheme supports the installation of microgeneration technologies across the UK, including solar panels.
	The Government published the Microgeneration Strategy in March 2006. This includes a number of policy commitments to encourage deployment of microgeneration technologies. Further information can be found at:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sources/sustainable/microgeneration/strategy/page27594.html

Spectrum Packages' Auction

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how radio microphone users in  (a) schools,  (b) education establishments and  (c) places of worship and their analogue equipment will be facilitated following the auction of the spectrum packages (i) before the 2012 Olympics and (ii) post 2012; what estimate he has made of the additional costs which will be incurred by these users; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how radio microphone users in the (a) conference and meetings and  (b) light entertainment industries and their analogue equipment will be facilitated following the auction of the spectrum packages (i) before the 2012 Olympics and (ii) post 2012; what estimate he has made of additional costs which will be incurred by these users; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how radio microphone users of analogue equipment who are  (a) in opera and musical shows,  (b) bands and  (c) singers and other musicians will be facilitated following the auction of the spectrum packages (i) before the 2012 Olympics and (ii) post 2012; what estimate he has made of the additional costs that will be incurred by these groups, including (A) costs of licences and (B) replacement of analogue equipment; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The matters raised are the responsibility of the regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to my hon. Friend. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Start-up Businesses

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many high growth start up businesses there were in each region and county in each year between 1994 and 2001; and what percentage of all businesses they represented.

Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the number of high growth start-ups in the UK that registered for value added tax (VAT) in each year from 1994 to 2001, the total number of VAT registrations in each year (both rounded to the nearest 100) and the percentage of all VAT registrations that were high growth start-ups. VAT registrations are the best official guide to the pattern of business start-ups.
	VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million businesses (42 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2005.
	
		
			  High growth start-ups( 1)  registering for VAT, total start-ups and percentage of VAT registrations that were high growth, by year of VAT registration 1994-2001 
			   High growth start-up registrations  Total VAT registrations  Percentage high growth start-ups 
			 1994 12,300 166,900 7.4 
			 1995 11,800 161,800 7.3 
			 1996 11,100 166,100 6.7 
			 1997 12,200 182,700 6.7 
			 1998 12,200 182,200 6.7 
			 1999 12,300 176,900 7.0 
			 2000 13,400 178,900 7.5 
			 2001 12,900 170,000 7.6 
			 (1) VAT registered firms with a turnover of over 1 million and/or 10 or more employees four years after registering for VAT.  Sources: DTI Autumn Performance Report 2006, available from http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file36067.pdf; SBS Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2005, available from www.sbs.gov.uk/vat and the Libraries of the House 
		
	
	A breakdown of these figures by region and county could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Start-up Businesses

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many high growth start up businesses there were in the Lancashire region in each year between 1994 and 2001; and what percentage they represented of all businesses.

Margaret Hodge: No estimates have been made of the number of high growth start-ups at regional or county level. This question can only be answered at disproportionate cost.

Sub-post Offices

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to increase the business opportunities for sub post offices.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 18 January 2007
	The Government have been working closely with Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd. to ensure that it is able to deliver high quality services that customers want. This included 500 million investment in Horizon enabling the Post Office to develop its financial service businesses by opening up its counters to up to 20 million bank customers and becoming the UK's leading provider of foreign exchange services.
	The vast majority of post offices are private businesses which are also able to pursue their own commercial interests.

Waste Packaging

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1610W, on the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations, which were the companies concerned in the four instances of successful prosecutions under the Regulations; what products were involved in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The four companies stated in my earlier reply which were prosecuted for failing to comply with the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations were:
	Nadia Luciani (trading as L'Aquila Importers and Distributors). This prosecution involved the packaging of tinned mushroom powder;
	Barry Brazier Limited (trading as Clays Butchers) concerning prepacked meat;
	Office World. This involved the packaging of office products, dispatched after the receipt of an internet order; and
	Burton's Foods Ltd. concerning the packaging for biscuits.
	These cases were brought by local Trading Standards Officers based in local authorities; one case by Oldham borough council, two by Northamptonshire county council and one by Cambridgeshire county council.

Births and Deaths

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) births and  (b) deaths there were in Chorley constituency in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) births and (b) deaths there were in Chorley constituency in each year since 1997.
	The table below provides the number of (a) births and (b) deaths in Chorley parliamentary constituency for the years 1997 to 2005 (the latest available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Births( 1)  and deaths( 2)  in Chorley parliamentary constituency( 3)  1997 to 2005 
			  Number 
			   Births  Deaths 
			 1997 1,057 1,060 
			 1998 1,114 994 
			 1999 1,070 1,018 
			 2000 1,047 1,079 
			 2001 1,009 1,006 
			 2002 1,035 1,025 
			 2003 1,103 1,022 
			 2004 1,239 1,012 
			 2005 1,177 982 
			 (1 )Live births occurring in each year. (2 )Deaths registered in each year. (3 )Using boundaries as of 2006 for all years shown.

Cancer Treatment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in  (a) the UK,  (b) the North East,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency were diagnosed with breast cancer in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking how many people were diagnosed with breast cancer in each of the last five years in  (a) the UK,  (b) the North East,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the years 2005 (Wales), 2004 (England, Northern Ireland) and 2003 (Scotland). The following table therefore provides numbers of cases of female breast cancer for the years 1999 to 2003 for the UK and for the years 1999 to 2004 for the other areas requested (North East Government Office Region (GQR), County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority (SHA) and Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency (PC)).
	
		
			  Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of female breast cancer( 1)  for the UK, North East GOR( 2) , County Durham and Tees Valley SHA and Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland PC, 1999-2004 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 UK 42,099 41,282 41,759 41,803 43,907  
			 North East GOR 1,666 1,663 1,715 1,696 1,892 1,960 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 737 747 777 782 829 844 
			 Middlesbrough South and East   
			 Cleveland PC 59 62 81 77 69 85 
			 (1) Breast cancer is defined as code C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10).  (2) Figures for North East GOR for the years 2000-2004 are available in Table 4 of the Annual Reference Volume, Cancer statistics: Registrations, Series MB1.   Sources:  Office for National Statistics, Welsh Cancer Intelligence Surveillance Unit, Scottish Cancer Registry ISD and Northern Ireland Cancer Registry.

Consultants

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of the consultants identified on page 107 of his 2006 departmental report; what work they undertook; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: One part of the OGC's domestic efficiency programme, described on page 107 of the 2006 Treasury departmental report, is the more efficient use of consultants. The target gain for this part of the programme is 1.5 million by March 2008. Sustainable savings have already been made on reduced consultancy spend on OGC's legacy work instigated pre-2005-06 and on corporate services.

EU: Imports and Exports

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the UK  (a) exported to and  (b) imported from the European Union in (i) goods and (ii) services in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available; and what the balance of trade with the EU was in each year since 1976.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how much the UK (a) exported to and (b) imported from the European Union in (i) goods and (ii) services in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available; and what the balance of trade with the EU was in each year since 1976. (116494)
	
		
			  Exports to and imports from the EU 
			   billion 
			   Exports  Imports  
			   Goods  Services  Goods  Services  Balance 
			 1999 101.2 29.6 109.3 31.9 -10.4 
			 2000 112.0 32.9 117.2 34.7 -7.2 
			 2001 113.9 35.4 126.4 37.0 -14.1 
			 2002 114.1 36.6 136.3 38.8 -24.3 
			 2003 110.6 39.5 136.6 41.8 -28.3 
			 2004 110.9 44.0 141.6 43.7 -30.5 
			 2005 120.6 47.4 157.5 48.1 -37.5 
			 Latest 4 quarters 148.9 49.6 188.7 49.3 -39.4 
			  Source: ONS Balance of Payments 
		
	
	The information shown in the above table is taken from Table C of the quarterly Balance of Payments First Release. Data shown are consistent with the 2006 Q3 release published on 21 December 2006.
	The ONS does not compile monthly estimates of trade in services with the EU. Therefore, the table shows the sum of the most recent four quarters e.g. 2005 Q4 to 2006 Q3.
	Estimates of trade in goods and services with the EU are only available from 1999.

KPMG

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid to KPMG  (a) for work as internal auditors of the Office of Government Commerce and  (b) for the full review of the Efficiency Programme.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 19 January 2007
	The Office of Government Commerce have not engaged KPMG as internal auditors. There has been no KPMG review of the Efficiency Programme.
	The Office of Government Commerce's Efficiency Team has however spent 76,752 with KPMG on consulting and interim management on the Efficiency Programme Performance Management System (EPPMS) in the current financial year.

Population Statistics: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) births and  (b) deaths there were in Eastbourne constituency in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many  (a) births and  (b) deaths there were in Eastbourne constituency in each year since 1997. (116566)
	The table below provides the number of  (a) births and  (b) deaths in Eastbourne parliamentary constituency for the years 1997 to 2005 (the latest available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Births( 1)  and deaths( 2)  in Eastbourne parliamentary constituency( 3) , 1997 to 2005 
			  Number 
			   Births  Deaths 
			 1997 967 1,469 
			 1998 933 1,419 
			 1999 869 1,402 
			 2000 860 1,413 
			 2001 892 1,422 
			 2002 853 1,416 
			 2003 988 1,351 
			 2004 989 1,336 
			 2005 968 1,367 
			 (1) Live births occurring in each year. (2) Deaths registered in each year. (3 )Using boundaries as of 2005 for all years shown.

Public Opinion Research

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last five years for which records are available.

John Healey: I refer to the answers given to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 196W, and 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1383W, and to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 15 December 2005,  Official Report, column 2265W. The cost to the Treasury of the joint poll for the Treasury and the Sutton Trust was 10,000. The joint survey with the Department for Communities and Local Government as part of the Lyons inquiry was commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Spending on public opinion research is not recorded as a separate category in the Treasury's accounting system, so further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Rockall

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much oil and gas reserves previously under UK jurisdiction are outside UK territorial waters following the cessation of sovereignty of Rockall; and what the estimated value is of these reserves.

John Healey: The Treasury is not responsible for this matter.
	However, I understand that there has been no cessation of sovereignty over Rockall.

VAT Registration

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when Aardvark Traffic Management Services of Worksop will obtain VAT registration following their November 2006 application.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 19 January 2007
	HMRC has a responsibility to balance efficient processing of applications with rigorous, risk-based, safeguards. HMRC aim to process VAT applications quickly and efficiently however, where necessary, additional checks can take time. It is therefore not possible to estimate how long any specific application for VAT registration will take.

Abortion

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long the average waiting time for an abortion was in each  (a) primary care trust and  (b) hospital trust in each year since 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Waiting times for abortion are not available as the majority of procedures take place in the independent sector but we consider that gestation at procedure is a good indicator of waiting times. The latest data for 2005 show that progress is being made to increase early access: 64 per cent. of national health service funded abortions took place at under 10 weekscompared with 51 per cent. in 2002.
	The earlier in pregnancy an abortion is performed, the lower the risk of complications. The Government are therefore working to ensure that women have access to abortion services as soon as possible. We have invested 8 million to improve early access and set a standard of a maximum waiting time of 3 weeks. Also, primary care trusts' performance in this area is being measured as part of their annual healthcheck.

Alzheimer's

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure that primary care trusts provide funding to enable clinicians to prescribe the most effective drug treatments available to patients with Alzheimer's disease who may benefit.

Ivan Lewis: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance on the most clinically and cost effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease to the national health service on 22 November 2006.
	NICE technology appraisals are covered by a three-month funding direction. Primary care trusts have a legal obligation to provide funding for treatments recommended by NICE within three months of the guidance being issued.

Burial Places

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to promote the provision of burial places in and around Greater London for use by the Islamic communities;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of burial places available in Greater London.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	Provision of burial space is a matter for individual boroughs to decide, including how much space should be set aside for the use of Islamic or other faith communities. The Department's recent guide for burial ground managers recommended seeking the requirements of local faith communities as a matter of good practice.
	The returns received in response to the recent burial ground survey of England and Wales are expected to provide an indication of available burial space in London once their analysis has been completed. A detailed survey of the position in London was carried out in 1997 by the London Planning Advisory Committee.

Capture, Assess, Treat and Support Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected  (a) set up costs and  (b) total first year costs are of the capture, assess, treat and support service in the South Lancashire area.

Ivan Lewis: The provision of the capture, assess, treat and support service in the South Lancashire area is the subject of ongoing commercial negotiations. Information on set up and total first year costs is commercially sensitive.

Community Hospitals

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she makes the final decision on the closure of community hospitals and cottage hospitals; and what record is kept of such decisions.

Andy Burnham: Decisions on national health service reconfigurations are taken by local NHS organisations following appropriate public consultation with local stakeholders, which include the overview and scrutiny committees (OSC) of local authorities.
	Where an OSC believes that a proposal to close a hospital is not in the interests of the local health service it can refer the matter to the Secretary of State who may make a final decision on the proposal.
	The Department only maintains a record of decisions relating to service reconfiguration proposals that have been formally referred to the Secretary of State by an OSC.

Counselling Services

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the availability of counselling services as part of general practitioner services in the national health service; and what plans she has for future provision of such services.

Rosie Winterton: Counselling services are increasingly available in and through primary care services, however, the availability of these services is quite varied. The Healthcare Commission are therefore considering commissioning a detailed audit of the availability of psychological therapies within primary and secondary care. The Royal College of Psychiatrists' research and training unit is currently identifying priorities for this audit and planning how it will be conducted if it is commissioned.
	In addition, a programme to improve access to psychological therapies was launched in May 2006. This programme is considering the national requirements for evidenced based psychological interventions for common mental disorders as set out in the NICE guidance and two demonstration sites have recently been established.
	The sites will test the theory that improved access to talking therapies can help tackle suffering, promote the well-being of the general population and have a significant economic impact by helping people to return to work more people with depression or anxiety or help them stay in employment.
	To date, the demonstration sites have seen in excess of 2,000 patients with depression and anxiety disorders and early indications with regard to clinical outcome and overall patient satisfaction are very favourable.

Crisis Resolution Teams

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the  (a) role and  (b) budget of each crisis resolution team.

Rosie Winterton: Crisis resolution home treatment teams (CR/HT) are set up to engage with adults aged 16 to 65 years who experience severe mental illness with an acute psychiatric crisis such as schizophrenia, a manic or a severe depressive disorder. Patients are treated in the community, rather than as hospital in-patients to minimise any disruption to their lives.
	Financial data on CR/HT teams is not collected centrally. Mental health strategies collects information on planned investment in adult mental health services for the Department. Planned investment in 2005-06 for crisis resolution/home treatment teams was 155 million.
	The responsibility for providing and commissioning of mental health services within the national health service rests with provider trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) respectively. It is for PCTs and provider trusts, in conjunction with their strategic health authorities to plan and develop services according to the needs of their local communities.

Dental Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the difference between the  (a) originally anticipated level and  (b) actual level of patient charge income under new general dental services contracts and personal dental services agreements.

Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trusts to monitor and manage patient charge revenue locally in the context of managing their overall net financial commitments. The Department is not in a position to make a reliable estimate of patient charge revenue at national-level ahead of receiving final outturn data for the full financial year. The Information Centre for health and Social Care will be publishing information on income from dental patient charges in due course.

Departmental Energy Policy

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to make her Department carbon neutral.

Ivan Lewis: The Department is committed to achieving carbon neutrality in its London administrative estate by 2012. This is in line with Government-wide targets.
	We are currently working with the Carbon Trust and others to minimise our overall energy efficiency. Carbon emissions from unavoidable energy consumption will be offset from 2012.
	This information relates only to the Department's main London estate. The Department also occupies a building in Leeds, where the major occupier is Department of Work and Pensions, and another building in London where the major occupier is HM Revenue and Customs. Both these Departments are subject to the same Government-wide targets. We will be doing whatever we can, such as by encouraging our staff to save energy, to support them in meeting the targets.

Diabetes: Pregnant Women

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the merits of the introduction of pin-prick blood tests for diabetes for pregnant women.

Ivan Lewis: Routine screening of all women for diabetes is not recommended. However, selective screening of women with high risk factors such as family history of diabetes, a current or previous big baby and recurrent glycosuria in pregnancy are indicators for testing by a glucose tolerance test. Health care providers should remain alert throughout the entire antenatal period to signs or symptoms of conditions which affect the health of the mother and foetus, including diabetes.

Folic Acid

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the take up of vitamin folic acid by women adjacent to the time of contraception in the  (a) (i) C2 and (ii) DE demographic groups and  (b) (A) under 24 years of age and (B) over 25 years of age groups; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The United Kingdom national infant feeding survey takes place every five years and asks mothers about the benefits of taking folic acid during pregnancy. In 1995 three-quarters (75 per cent.) were aware of the benefits of taking folic acid and this increased to over nine out of 10 (92 per cent.) by 2000. Most women who knew of the increased benefits of taking folic acid had taken some action to increase their intake of folic acid. Three in 10 (31 per cent.) had changed their diets and almost three-quarters (73 per cent.) had taken supplements with some women doing both. The 2000 survey was not able to differentiate whether the action was prior to conception or after they were aware that they were pregnant. The report did not provide any further breakdown based either on age or demographic groups.
	The results of the 2005 national infant feeding survey are expected in spring 2007.
	The health survey of England provides more up to date information on the use of folic acid supplements prior to and during pregnancy for mothers who had planned their pregnancy. Nearly four out of five mothers (79 per cent.) reported increasing their folate intake during pregnancy. The proportion of mothers taking action increased with age from 32 per cent. for those aged 16 to 24 up to 60 per cent. for those 35 years and older. Slightly more than four in 10 (43 per cent.) mothers in the most socio-economically deprived areas were likely to increase their folate intake compared with seven in 10 (70 per cent.) mothers in the least socio-economically deprived areas.

Food Standards Agency

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what science-based studies underpinned the Food Standards Agency's food labelling traffic lights scheme; and what plans she has to extend the scheme to the catering sector.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency's (FSA) front of pack signpost recommendations for a traffic light labelling approach for use in retail outlets is supported by extensive scientific research and consultation with stakeholders.
	A programme of consumer research was carried out during 2004 and 2005 to test various signposting approaches, comprising a series of studies that provided information on:
	Preferencewhat signpost formats appeal to consumers;
	Performancehow consumers use and understand the information provided in signposts;
	Executiondesign of strongest performing signposts; and
	Application of signpostthe foods consumers want signposting applied to.
	The full reports of this research have been published on the agency's website at:
	www.food.gov.uk/foodlabellinq/signpostinq/siognpostlabelresearch/
	The FSA encourages restaurants, caterers and cafes to provide more detailed information about the nutritional content of the food they serve to help consumers to be able to identify healthy food choices. There are no current plans to recommend the use of the agency's approach to signpost labelling in catering establishments will be considered with stakeholders once the United Kingdom-wide signposting scheme for pre-packaged foods has been implemented effectively.

Health Professionals: Confidentiality

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with the review of confidentiality obligations placed on health professionals as they relate to criminal investigations concerning the potential transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.

Caroline Flint: The Department's Policy consultation on Confidentiality and Disclosure of Patient InformationHIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection closed on 31 October 2006. We received over 70 replies which officials are currently considering. This consultation is separate to the Crown Prosecution Service's recent consultation on prosecuting cases following the sexual transmission of infections which cause grievous bodily harm.

Heroin

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the National Health Service spent on the purchase of heroin for medicinal purposes in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Heroin is known as diamorphine when used for medical purposes. Figures for use in the community are available for 1996 to 2005. Figures for use in hospitals are only available for 2001 to 2005.
	
		
			   000 
			   Community dispensingnet ingredient cost  Estimated hospital cost  Estimated total 
			 1996 3,822.9   
			 1997 3,747.5   
			 1998 3,808.1   
			 1999 3,693.3   
			 2000 3,553.1   
			 2001 3,287.1 3,945.9 7,233.1 
			 2002 3,312.0 3,898.4 7,210.4 
			 2003 3,686.4 4,052.2 7,738.6 
			 2004 3,974.2 3,724.9 7,699.1 
			 2005 1,802.9 1,709.8 3,512.6 
		
	
	The use in 2005 was affected by production problems at a major manufacturer.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1358, on hospital infections, for what reason private hospitals and independent sector treatment centres are not required to report cases of  (a) MRSA and  (b) Clostridium difficile; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Independent sector providers are not currently contractually required to report cases of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile associated disease as the mandatory surveillance system only includes acute national health service trusts. The current independent sector reporting requirements are laid out in the Private and Voluntary Healthcare (PVH) Regulations 2001.
	Following publication of 'The Health Act 2006 Code of Practice for the Prevention and control of Health Care Associated Infections' we are considering how to implement similar provisions on HCAIs, including surveillance, in the independent sector and a consultation on the PVH regulations will be held in 2007.

Independent Treatment Centre: Preston

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what consultation exercise is being undertaken on the proposal for a new independent treatment centre in Preston;
	(2)  which organisations will be consulted over the proposal for a new independent treatment centre at Preston;
	(3)  if she will take steps to ensure that the  (a) Foundation Trust,  (b) local hon. Members,  (c) local authorities and  (d) GPs are consulted on the proposal for a new independent treatment centre at Preston.

Andy Burnham: An eight-week consultation has recently been launched by the six primary care trusts (PCTs) in Cumbria and Lancashire to seek the views of the public on the planned establishment of a new clinical, assessment, treatment and support (CATS) service. The consultation runs from 15 January 2007 to 9 March 2007. The PCTs are consulting specifically on the details of the local implementation of CATS services in Cumbria and Lancashire, which fall into four areas: the location of the sites', their impact on the wider health services, how to ensure that they fit seamlessly into the pathway from GP referrer through to local hospitals treatment, and the proposed clinical specialities.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1037-38W, on seasonal influenza, what her latest estimate is of the proportion of patients in each risk group whose health is deemed at risk from seasonal influenza who have received their seasonal influenza immunisation for the 2006-07 winter.

Caroline Flint: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Flu vaccine uptake by end of December 2006 
			  Under 65 years of age and in a medical risk group  Percentage 
			 Chronic respiratory disease 39 
			 Chronic heart disease 51 
			 Chronic renal disease 37 
			 Chronic liver disease 28 
			 Diabetes 65 
			 Immunosuppression 31 
			 Those aged 65 and over 72 
			  Notes: 1. The December figure is based on the response rate of 90 per cent. from general practitioners practices in England.  2. Sentinel surveillance data from QResearch (based on 3,150 GP practices) suggests that by 14 January 2007 flu vaccine uptake in those 65 years and over was 73.5 per cent. in England.  Source:  Provisional national uptake data to the end of December 2006 has been collected by the Health Protection Agency. This data is collected on a monthly basis.

Mixed-sex Wards

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the reports she received on mixed-sex wards from strategic health authorities on 11 December 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The information gained from strategic health authorities will inform the future direction of this policy area. The timescale for any publication is yet to be determined.

Mixed-sex Wards

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) male-only wards,  (b) female-only wards,  (c) mixed sex wards and  (d) wards divided by partition into male and female areas there are in each hospital in East Sussex.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Between 1998 and 2005, the provision of single-sex accommodation was measured as compliance at national health service trust level with three objectives set by the Department. These objectives have been superseded by the core national standards presented in Standards for Better Health.
	The core standards require that:
	(C13) Staff treat patients, their relatives and carers with dignity and respect and
	(C20b) Health care services are provided in environments which promote effective care and optimize health outcomes by being supportive of patient privacy and confidentiality.
	Currently, five trusts report that they do not meet Standard C13a and 15 trusts report that they do not meet standard C20b.
	Previously, compliance was measured annually at trust level. The results of the most recent compliance survey (December 2004) show that;
	99 per cent. of NHS trusts provided single-sex sleeping accommodation for planned admissions and had robust operational policies in place to protect patients' privacy and dignity;
	99 per cent. of NHS trusts met the additional criteria set to ensure the safety of patients who are mentally ill;
	97 per cent. of NHS trusts provided properly segregated bathroom and toilet facilities for men and women.
	The small number of hospitals who did not achieve these objectives are building new hospitals.
	The 2004 position of each NHS Trust (including the NHS trusts in East Sussex) was published on 26 May 2005 and is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk and in the Library.

Mixed-sex Wards

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) male-only wards,  (b) female-only wards,  (c) mixed sex wards and  (d) wards divided by partition into sexes there are in each hospital in Shropshire and Telford.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Between 1998 and 2005, the provision of single-sex accommodation was measured as compliance at national health service trust level with three objectives set by the Department. These objectives have been superseded by the core national standards presented in Standards for Better Health.
	The core standards require that:
	(C13) Staff treat patients, their relatives and carers with dignity and respect; and
	(C20b) Health care services are provided in environments which promote effective care and optimize health outcomes by being supportive of patient privacy and confidentiality.
	Currently, five NHS trusts report that they do not meet Standard C13a and 15 NHS trusts report that they do not meet standard C20b.
	Previously, compliance was measured annually at trust level. The results of the most recent compliance survey (December 2004) show that:
	99 per cent. of NHS trusts provided single-sex sleeping accommodation for planned admissions and had robust operational policies in place to protect patients' privacy and dignity;
	99 per cent. of NHS trusts met the additional criteria set to ensure the safety of patients who are mentally ill; and
	97 per cent. of NHS trusts provided properly segregated bathroom and toilet facilities for men and women.
	The small number of hospitals who did not achieve these objectives are building new hospitals.
	The 2004 position of each NHS trust, including the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, was published on 26 May 2005 and is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk and in the Library.

National Framework for Continuing Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department expects to respond to the feedback from its consultation on the National Framework for Continuing Care.

Ivan Lewis: We received a large response to the consultation which raised a number of important issues which have needed careful consideration. We intend to publish our response in the near future.

NHS Dentistry

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the  (a) adult and  (b) child population of (i) Selby and York primary care trust area, (ii) North Yorkshire primary care trust area, (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iv) England was registered with an NHS general dental practitioner in 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The last information on adult and child registrations was published in August 2006 by the Information Centre for heath and social care as part of its NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report for England for 31 March 2006. The following table shows the number of patients registered with dentists in the relevant primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) areas, expressed as a proportion of the populations for those areas. The boundaries for some strategic health authorities (SHAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs) have changed since March 2006.
	Under the new arrangements for primary dental care services, access is no longer measured through registrations but through the number of patients seen within the most recent 24-month period. Combined data for adults and children are available for the 24-month periods ending 30 June 2006 and 30 September 2006. The Information Centre will publish the first separate data for adults and children in March 2007 as part of its publication covering the quarter ending 31 December 2006.
	
		
			  General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): proportion of the population registered with a dentist, by child and adult, by specific PCT, specific SNA and England as at 31 March 2006 
			  Percentage 
			   Adults  Children  All 
			 Selby and York PCT 50 76 55 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA 47 66 51 
			 West Yorkshire SHA 50 65 54 
			 South Yorkshire SHA 55 71 59 
			 England 45 64 49 
			  Notes: 1. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. PCT and SHA areas were defined using the Office for National Statistics All Fields Postcode Directory. 2. The data cover patients registered with dentists providing general dental services or personal dental services. They exclude patients receiving dental services provided by the community dental services, by hospitals or in prisons. 3. The data cover patients registered with dentists in the relevant PCT and SHA areas, regardless of the patient's area of residence. Expressing the data as a proportion of the resident populations for the relevant PCT and SHA areas can therefore provide only a proxy for the proportion of the population registered with a dentist. 4. 2006 population data have been estimated using Office for National Statistics 2004 mid-year population estimates based on the 2001 census as these are the latest available. 5. The boundaries used are as at 31 March 2006.  Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care. 2. NHS Business Services Authority (BSA). 3. Office for National Statistics.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total capital value is of each local improvement finance trust scheme overseen by her Department which has reached financial close, broken down by scheme; over what period repayments will take place; and what the total cost of repayment for each such scheme will be.

Andy Burnham: The Department oversees the financial close on tranches of schemes with a capital value of over 25 million. Other schemes are approved by strategic health authorities. The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Estimated lease plus payments for all LIFT schemes over 25 million that have reached financial close 
			  LIFT area  LIFT scheme, PCT  Operational status( 1)  Estimated total capital value  ( million)  Estimated total lease plus payments to end of contract  ( million)( 2, 3)  Period of lease in years 
			 Greater Notts Stapleford Care Centre (Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT) Open 11 41 25 
			 Greater Notts Clifton Cornerstone (Nottingham City PCT) Open 8.8 41 25 
			 Greater Notts Park House Health  Social Care Centre (Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT) Open 7.5 27.3 25 
			 Greater Notts Mary Potter Joint Access Centre (Nottingham City PCT) Under Construction 14.6 58.1 25 
			 Greater Notts Keyworth Health Centre, Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT Under Construction 4.7 17.1 25 
			 Colchester  Tendring Colchester Primary Care Hub (North East Essex PCT) Open 18 71.7 25 
			 Colchester  Tendring Fryatt Hospital  Mayflower Medical Centre (North East Essex PCT) Open 16 47.8 25 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith  Hounslow Heart of Hounslow Centre for Health (Hounslow PCT) Under Construction 21.8 61.5 25 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith  Hounslow Cloister Road GP Practice (Ealing PCT) Open 1.3 3.1 25 
			 Bromley, Bexley  Greenwich Beckenham Hospital (Bromley PCT) Under Construction 36 95.6 25 
			 Lambeth, Southwark  Lewisham Walden Primary Care Centre (Lewisham PCT) Under Construction 13.4 44.4 25 
			 Lambeth, Southwark  Lewisham Central Streatham Primary Care Centre (Lambeth PCT) Under Construction 8.8 36.2 25 
			 Lambeth, Southwark  Lewisham Southwark Child Development Centre (Southwark PCT) Under Construction 8.5 30.7 25 
			 North Notts Ashfield Health Village (Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT) Under Construction 4.5 17.1 25 
			 North Notts Balderton Health Centre (Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT) Under Construction 3.3 13.7 25 
			 North Notts Bull Farm Primary Care Resource Centre (Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT) Under Construction 2.8 10.2 25 
			 North Notts Harworth Primary Care Centre (Bassetlaw PCT) Under Construction 5.1 17.1 25 
			 North Notts Rainworth Health Centre (Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT) Under Construction 3 10.2 25 
			 North Notts Retford Primary Care Centre (Bassetlaw PCT) Under Construction 10.4 44.4 25 
			 North Notts Warsop One Stop Shop (Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT) Under Construction 4.3 17.1 25 
			 (1 )Lease Plus payments only start once the facility is operational to an agreed standard (2) The figures above are expressed in nominal termsi.e. the Department has applied a deflator (RPIthe one normally used in contracts) to the baseline figure submitted the Trust or PCT concerned. Figures will therefore vary as a result of changes to RPI. (3 )For Lease Plus for all schemes includes the costs of the private sector partner providing Hard (building maintenance) FM services over the lifetime of the contract

NHS Maintenance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total estimated cost of backlog maintenance was in the NHS in each financial year since 1997-98.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is in the table. Investment to reduce backlog maintenance will be prioritised locally based on risk assessment, reconfiguration planning and available resources. The majority of the backlog maintenance relates to low priority work which will be undertaken through ongoing maintenance programmes. Where higher risks are present, work will be undertaken as a priority.
	
		
			  Total backlog maintenance 
			million 
			 1997-98 2,836 
			 1998-99 3,027 
			 1999-2000 3,108 
			 2000-01 3,242 
			 2001-02 3,378 
			 2002-03 3,517 
			 2003-04 3,193 
			 2004-05 3,142 
			 2005-06 3,684 
		
	
	The data is as provided by the national health service and has not been amended centrally. Its accuracy and completeness is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

NICE Guidance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the savings to the NHS budget that are likely to be made following National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on drug treatments since its inception, broken down by individual guidance type; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Each technology appraisal and clinical guideline published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) contains an estimate of the cost and savings to the national health service associated with its implementation. The following table lists the guidance where NICE has estimated a potential saving to the NHS in spending on drug treatments.
	
		
			  Estimated potential annual savings in drug spend, England 
			  NICE guidance topic   million 
			  Technology appraisal  
			 Proton pump inhibitors 45 
			 Pioglitazone for type two diabetes 12 
			 Capecitabine and tegafur with uracil for metastatic colorectal cancer 16 
			 Capecitabine for locally advance breast cancer 1.2 
			 Glitazones for type two diabetes (review) 16 
			 Rheumatoid arthritisanakinra 0.07 
			 Atopic dermatitis (eczema)topical steroids 31 
			   
			  Clinical guideline  
			 Post traumatic stress disorder 10.8 
			 Depression in adults 10 
			 Depression in children and adolescents 1.98 
			 Tuberculosis 0.13 
			 Obesity 13.9 
			 Total 158.08

North Yorkshire Funding

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what allocations the Government made to health authorities up to 2002-03 and primary care trusts since then in North Yorkshire in each year since 1996-97  (a) in cash terms and  (b) at constant prices; and what allocations are planned to the new North Yorkshire Primary Care Trust in each of the next five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is set out in the tables. Table 1 shows allocations in cash terms and in 2006-07 constant prices to North Yorkshire Health Authority (HA) between 1996-97 and 2002-03. Table 2 shows allocations in cash terms and in 2006-07 constant prices to primary care trusts (PCTs) in North Yorkshire between 2003-04 and 2007-08.
	The Department has not yet planned allocations to PCTs beyond 2007-08.
	
		
			  Table 1: Revenue allocations to North Yorkshire (HA) 
			   Allocation  Real terms allocation in 2006-07 prices 
			 1996-97 291,504 371,722 
			 1997-98 303,427 375,990 
			 1998-99 318,712 385,142 
			 1999-2000 434,879 515,108 
			 2000-01 474,576 554,334 
			 2001-02 512,685 584,960 
			 2002-03 566,781 627,278 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Revenue allocations to PCTs in North Yorkshire 
			   Craven, Harrogate and Rural District  Hambleton and Richmondshire  Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale  Selby and York 
			   Allocation  Real terms allocation in 2006-07 prices  Allocation  Real terms allocation in 2006-07 prices  Allocation  Real terms allocation in 2006-07 prices  Allocation  Real terms allocation in 2006-07 prices 
			 2003-04 166,668 179,131 91,187 98,006 138,792 149,170 216,207 232,374 
			 2004-05 181,585 189,935 99,349 103,917 152,118 159,113 235,557 246,389 
			 2005-06 197,111 202,399 107,843 110,736 166,123 170,580 255,791 262,654 
			 2006-07 235,518 235,518 129,360 129,360 198,010 198,010 307,131 307,131 
			 2007-08 254,740 248,029 139,918 136,232 216,805 211,094 335,917 327,068

Pacesetters Project

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to her Department was of the Pacesetters project; and what programmes operated over the last 12 months.

Andy Burnham: 1,783,000 is allocated to the Pacesetters Programme in 2006-07.
	The Pacesetters Programme is a collaboration between the Department and up to five strategic health authorities (SHAs) and three trusts in each of their areas. The aim is to effect lasting and transformational change in the way in which equality and diversity is addressed in the commissioning and delivery of health services. To date, considerable work has focused on laying firm foundations. This has involved both the Department and the SHAs in making appointments to the programme, compiling baseline data, running learning workshops, engaging with local stakeholders and communities (some of whom are hard to reach), and undertaking other essential background pieces of work. As a result the SHAs are participating trusts have been able to select the change ideas that they will work on in the coming years. In addition, the programme has been successfully launched in one SHAs area and further launches are planned for the coming months.

PCT Funding

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how her Department determines the level of funding to be allocated to each primary care trust.

Andy Burnham: Funding is allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each PCTs' target share of available resources, to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need.
	The components of the formula are used to weight each PCTs crude population according to their relative need (age, and additional need) for healthcare and the unavoidable geographical differences in the cost of providing healthcare (market forces factor).
	The weighted capitation formula is used to set targets, which then inform allocations. The formula does not determine allocations. Actual allocations reflect decisions on the speed at which PCTs are brought nearer to target through the distribution of extra funds (pace of change policy). Pace of change policy is decided by Ministers for each allocations round.
	For the latest allocations round, covering the period 2006-07 and 2007-08, it has been decided to move PCTs more quickly towards their fair share of funds. In 2003-04, the most under target PCT was 22 per cent. under target. However, moving to reach target allocations in one three year set of allocations was not possible. The 2006-08 revenue allocations move PCTs more quickly towards their target shares and by the end of 2007-08, no PCT will be more than 3.5 per cent. below its fair share.

PFI

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the long-term liabilities of the private finance initiative (PFI) investment referred to on page 44 of her Department's annual report 2006 are; what the total buy-back option is; and what total annual expenditure on these areas was before the PFI contracts were signed.

Andy Burnham: The figures for private finance initiative (PFI) investment on page 44 of the Departmental Report 2006 is the Department's estimate for costs that are incurred by private sector contractors during the years in question in building hospital facilities that will be made available to the national health service under PFI contracts. The figures do not represent liabilities because the schemes are regarded under accounting standards as being 'off balance sheet'.
	Under a PFI contract, trusts may terminate the contract with notice at any time, without having to prove right and regardless of any prejudice to the private sector. Under these circumstances, compensation would be payable to the contractor on a trust default basis aiming to put the contractor in a position that is no better, no worse than it would have been had the contract run for its full length. A value for money case for exercising this option must be made.
	In working up their preferred option in the business case process, which is developed into the eventual PFI solution, trusts re-assess fundamentally their service configuration and patient pathways, taking on board the provision of new IT, equipment, new construction methods and innovations. It is therefore not possible to directly compare like for like annual expenditure before and after a PFI contract is signed.

PFI

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the largest private finance initiative project to date has been; what the Department's buy-back option on the project is; what the annual cost to the Department is; and what the total cost to the Department will be on reversion of the contract.

Andy Burnham: The biggest private finance initiative project (PFI) to date is at Barts and the London NHS Trust worth 1 billion.
	Under a PFI contract, trusts may terminate the contract with notice at any time, without having to prove right and regardless of any prejudice to the private sector. Under these circumstances, compensation would be payable to the contractor on a trust default basis aiming to put the contractor in a position that is 'no better, no worse' than it would have been had the contract run for its full length. A value for money case for exercising this option must be made.
	A unitary payment of 96.4 million per annum (at April 2005 prices) will be paid by Barts and the London NHS Trust to its private sector partner once the building work is completed. As with all PFI contracts, the unitary payment will increase in line with the retail price index (RPI) each year and is subject to satisfactory performance under the payment mechanism.
	No compensation is paid to the contractor when the contract expires at the end of its full length (operational concession period is 32 years on this scheme) and the asset reverts back to the trust at no extra charge.

Political Party Donations

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which  (a) chairmen and  (b) chief executives of local primary care trusts have made declarations to her Department that they have made donations to the Labour Party; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information about the political activities of primary care trust chairs is held by the Appointments Commission and I have asked Sir William Wells to respond to your query directly.
	Regarding chief executives, I refer the hon. Member to the Code of Accountability which has been placed in the Library. National health service organisations are required to make their register of members' interests available to the public but there is no requirement for them to declare this the Department.

Primary Care Trusts

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newly appointed chairpersons of merged primary care trusts established on 1 October 2006  (a) are members of the Labour Party and  (b) have previously been elected as Labour councillors.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally by the Department. Information is, however, collected by the Appointments Commission on whether appointees have been politically active within the last five years. The Commission have been asked to respond directly to the hon. Member's question.

Sexual Health

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of sexually transmitted diseases there have been in the Lincolnshire Health Authority area in girls aged  (a) under 16 and  (b) under 18 in each year since 1999.

Caroline Flint: Total diagnoses of selected sexually transmitted infections (STIs) attending genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics among females aged under 16 and females aged 16-19, in the Lincolnshire Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT), 1999 to 2005, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Females under 16  Females 16-69 
			 1999 10 248 
			 2000 14 258 
			 2001 22 257 
			 2002 19 328 
			 2003 26 339 
			 2004 22 412 
			 2005 29 436 
			  Notes: 1. Selected STIs include: infectious syphilis, uncomplicated gonorrhoea, anogenital herpes simplex (first attack), anogenital warts (first attack) and uncomplicated Chlamydia infection. 2. KC60 data is not available by age group 16-18, so the number of diagnoses for the age group 16-19 is presented.  3. Lincolnshire Health Authority has ceased to exist, however the boundaries are coterminous with the current Lincolnshire Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) boundaries. The table includes data since 1999 from all GUM clinics that currently belong to Lincolnshire Teaching PCT. This does not include data from North Lincolnshire PCT and North East Lincolnshire PCT.  4. The data available relate to diagnoses made in clinics in the Lincolnshire Teaching PCT, but as GUM clinics are open access services the individuals diagnosed are not necessarily resident in this PCT.   Source:  ST1 KC60 statutory returns from 1999 - 2005, Health Protection Agency.

Skin Cancer

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding her Department provided for  (a) skin cancer services and  (b) research into skin cancer in each of the last 10 years; and what the planned funding is for the 2007-08 financial year.

Rosie Winterton: Information on funding for cancer services is not available by cancer type.
	We do not hold information centrally on levels of funding spent on cancer care for each of the last 10 years, however we do have information for the three years to 2005-06. 3.4 billion was spent on cancer care in 2003-04 and this increased by 12 per cent. each year to 3.8 billion in 2004-05 and 4.3 billion in 2005-06.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation.
	Available MRC expenditure on skin cancer research is shown in the table.
	
		
			   MRC Expenditure ( million) 
			 2000-01 1.3 
			 2001-02 3.0 
			 2002-03 1.75 
			 2003-04 2.0 
			 2004-05 (1)0.8 
			 (1) The drop in expenditure In 2004-05 is largely due to several grants having ended before expenditure on new awards was incurred. 
		
	
	The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the NHS. Expenditure by the Department's national research programmes on projects related to skin cancer is shown in the table.
	
		
			   National Research Programmes Expenditure (000) 
			 1997-98 518 
			 1998-99 828 
			 1999-2000 577 
			 2000-01 367 
			 2001-02 139 
			 2002-03 24 
			 2003-04 18 
			 2004-05 20 
		
	
	The main part of the Department's research and development budget is allocated to and managed by organisations. These organisations account for their use of the allocations they receive from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on national priority areas, including cancer, however the returns do not identify research by cancer type. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS, including those concerned with site-specific cancers, can be found on the national research register at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/research

Specialist Nursing Posts

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will meet  (a) NHS staff and  (b) other interested parties to discuss the provision of specialist nursing services for delivering treatment and care to patients with long-term conditions;
	(2)  whether there is a duty on local health trusts to honour written commitments to retain specialist nursing posts which have been funded by charitable organisations in return for that commitment to continue the post to which the agreement relates; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what her policy is on the establishment of specialist nurse posts through pump-priming schemes based on funding from charitable organisations; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have supported the development of a range of specialist roles within nursing. Ministers and officials meet regularly with representatives from the national health service, the Royal College of Nursing and other stakeholder groups, to discuss issues including the nursing work force. There are 404,161 nurses working in the NHS. This represents an increase of 85,305 or 27 per cent. since 1997.
	It is for local trusts in partnership with local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health and to commission services accordingly, this includes provision of specialist nursing posts. Where agreements have been made for alternate funding of these posts, this is a local matter and concerns about these arrangements should be taken up locally.

Statistics

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions in the last five years the publication date of statistics produced by her Department has been changed; what the  (a) subject of the statistics,  (b) (i) original and (ii) final date of publication and  (c) reason for the delay was in each case; and who took the decision to delay the publication in each case.

Ivan Lewis: In accordance with the national statistics code of practice (2002), the statistics heads of profession in the Department of Health and The Information Centre for health and social care have final responsibility for determining, pre-announcing and, if necessary, altering the dates of publication of national statistics and other relevant statistics produced by their bodies.
	Any decision to change a pre-announced publication date will be based on a range of purely professional considerations such as the completeness of the underlying data, their fitness for purpose, the need for consistency and coherence, the need to promote widespread access and informed debate, or any earlier accidental or wrongful release. In reaching their decisions, the heads of profession will also take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the national statistics protocol on release practices. Copies of the code and its 12 supporting protocols are available in the Library of the House, and are available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp
	The Department's compliance statement with the code of practice (which currently covers The Information Centre)is available at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/CodeOfPractice/fs/en
	There have been 11 occasions in 2006 when the statistics heads of profession for Department of Health and The Information Centre have changed a pre-announced publication date. Records for previous years are not readily to hand and could be accessed only by incurring disproportionate cost. The details for 2006 are as follows:
	 1. Cancelled Operations, England: quarter ending December 2005 (non-national statistics published by DH)
	Original publication date: February 2006
	Final publication date: 3 March 2006
	Reason: The February month was announced in error.
	Who took decision: DH statistics communications manager in consultation with lead statistician.
	 2. Statistics on Patient Journeys: Hospital outpatient activity in 2003-04 and 2004-05first report and quality assessment of experimental data from patient level record systems (non-national statistics published by The Information Centre)
	Original publication date: February 2006
	Final publication date: 31 July 2006
	Reason: external operational issues resulting from the impact of Hemel Hempstead fire on HES resources and systems.
	Who took decision: Information Centre head of profession in consultation with senior data analyst/statistician and colleagues in statistical governance.
	 3. NHS Staff 1995 to 2005 (non-national statistics published by The Information Centre)
	Original publication date: March 2006
	Final publication date: 24 April 2006
	Reason: operational issues.
	Who took decision: Information Centre head of profession in consultation with senior data analyst/statistician and colleagues in statistical governance.
	Correspondence on Statistics Commission website: http://www.statscom.org.uk/C_1021.aspx
	 4. Sight Tests Volume and Workforce Survey 2005-06 (non-national statistics published by The Information Centre)
	Original publication date: March 2006 and delayed again from 27 July 2006
	Final publication date: 24 October 2006
	Reason: delayed from March for operational reasons and delayed from July for technical reasons.
	Who took decision: Information Centre head of profession in consultation with senior data analyst/statistician and colleagues in statistical governance.
	 5. Ambulance Services, England 2005-06 (national statistics published by The Information Centre)
	Original publication date: 15 June 2006
	Final publication date: 14 August 2006
	Reason: Concerns about data quality that subsequently resulted in a full DH audit of ambulances trusts.
	Who took decision: Information Centre head of profession in consultation with senior data analyst/statistician, colleagues in statistical governance and also the DH head of profession.
	Correspondence on Statistics Commission website: http://www.statscom.org.uk/C_1032.aspx and http://www.statscom.org.uk/C_1030.aspx
	 6. NHS Contraceptive Services, England: 2005-06 (national statistics published by The Information Centre)
	Original publication date: September 2006
	Final publication date: 24 October 2006
	Reason: operational reasons.
	Who took decision: Information Centre head of profession in consultation with senior data analyst/statistician and colleagues in statistical governance.
	 7. Report of Hospital Prescribing 2005 (non-national statistics published by The Information Centre)
	Original publication date: 28 September 2006 (and delayed again from 31 October)
	Final publication date: 29 November 2006
	Reason: operational issues.
	Who took decision: Information Centre head of profession in consultation with senior data analyst/statistician and colleagues in statistical governance.
	Correspondence on Statistics Commission website: http://www.statscom.org.uk/C_1043.aspx
	 8. Cervical Screening Programme 2005-06 (national statistics published by the Information Centre)
	Original publication date: October 2006
	Final publication date: 20 December 2006
	Reason: external data supply issues.
	Who took decision: Information Centre head of profession in consultation with senior data analyst/statistician and colleagues in statistical governance.
	Correspondence on Statistics Commission website: http.//www.statscom.org.uk/C_1043.aspx
	 9. Guardianship under the Mental Health Act 1983, England (national statistics published by the Information Centre)
	Original publication date: 31 October 2006
	Final publication date: 20 December 2006
	Reason: operational issues.
	Who took decision: Information Centre head of profession in consultation with senior data analyst/statistician and colleagues in statistical governance.
	 10. Waiting Times for suspected cancer patients: quarter ending 30 September 2006 (non-national statistics published by DH)
	Original publication date: 1 December 2006
	Final publication date: 29 November 2006
	Reason: To allow latest data to be accessible to all attendees of cross-party House of Commons conference on cancer, to promote informed debate.
	Who took decision: DH head of profession in consultation with senior DH analytical, policy, communication and private office colleagues.
	 11. NHS Inpatient and Outpatient Waiting Times figures: 30 November 2006 (non- national statistics published by DH)
	Original publication date: 29 December 2006
	Final publication date: 5 January 2007
	Reason: The 29 December.2006 date was announced in error as a result of miscalculation of the formula used to publish monthly waiting data. Correction was made as soon as the error was realisedthree months before publication.
	Who took decision: DH statistics communications manager in consultation with lead statistician.

Under-age Drinking

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many under 18-year-olds were treated for alcohol-related health problems in Shropshire in each year since 1991.

Caroline Flint: The number of patients under 18 years old treated for alcohol-related illness in Shropshire during the period 1998 to 2006 is shown in the table.
	Figures prior to 1998 are not available.
	
		
			  Provider name  Finished consultant episodes 
			  20005-06  
			 Shropshire County Primary Care Trust 0 
			 Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust 0 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital National Health Service Trust 0 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 53 
			 Total 53 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 Shropshire County PCT * 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 0 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 0 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust * 
			 Total 46 
			   
			  2003-04( 1)  
			 Shropshire County POT 0 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 0 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 0 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 32 
			 Total 32 
			   
			  2002-03( 2)  
			 Shropshire County PCT * 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 0 
			 The Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust * 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 0 
			 Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals NHS Trust 22 
			 Total 39 
			  2001-02  
			 The Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust * 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 0 
			 Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals NHS 34 
			 Shropshire's Community and Mental Health Trust * 
			 Total 62 
			   
			  2000-01  
			 The Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust * 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 0 
			 Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals NHS 30 
			 Shropshire's Community and Mental Health Trust * 
			 Total 56 
			   
			  1999-2000  
			 The Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust 39 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 0 
			 Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals NHS Trust 23 
			 Shropshire's Community and Mental Health Trust 0 
			 Total 62 
			   
			  1998-99  
			 The Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust 33 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 0 
			 Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals NHS Trust 21 
			 Shropshire's Community and Mental Health Trust 0 
			 Total 54 
			 (1) From the year 2003-04 onwards the Princess Royal Hospital and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals merged into a single provider, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. (2) From the year 2002-03 onwards Shropshire Community and Mental Health Trust became Shropshire County PCT and Telford and Wrekin PCT.   Notes:   1. Data Quality: Hospital episode statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  2. Finished consultant episode (FCE): An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  3. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis): The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  4. Low numbers: Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with * (an asterisk). To avoid calculation of suppressed values from the totals, the next lowest number has also been suppressed and replaced with an *.  5. Ungrossed data: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).   Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Waiting Times

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations have been subject to medical deferral in each quarter of each of the last five years, broken down by acute hospital trust; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The number of medical deferrals are not collected centrally.
	Information is collected quarterly on the number of patients who were suspended from the list at the end of each quarter and the number on the list who had been deferred at some point during their wait. The number of suspensions cannot be spilt by those suspended for medical or social reasons.
	These figures are shown in the following table at England level. National health service trust based figures are available at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/waitingtimes/index.htm
	
		
			  In-patient deferrals and suspensions from 2002-03 to 2006-07, commissioner based 
			  Quarter  Self deferrals  Suspensions 
			  2002-03   
			 Q1 70,798 65,905 
			 Q2 76,725 71,187 
			 Q3 78,299 73,413 
			 Q4 70,400 72,362 
			
			  2003-04   
			 Q1 69,357 71,367 
			 Q2 73,597 69,199 
			 Q3 71,595 72,634 
			 Q4 65,103 78,583 
			
			  2004-05   
			 Q1 62,077 78,001 
			 Q2 60,649 74,695 
			 Q3 62,150 74,586 
			 Q4 57,753 71,818 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Q1 55,950 72,007 
			 Q2 61,705 73,085 
			 Q3 63,129 76,567 
			 Q4 60,264 68,546 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Q1 60,663 73,895 
			 Q2 62,928 67,125 
			  Source: Department of Health KH07a